Skip to main content

Full text of "Nature and the camera; how to photograph live birds and their nests; animals, wild and tame; reptiles; insects; fish and other aquatic forms; flowers, trees, and fungi"

See other formats


A.RDUGMORE 


Nature  and  the  Camera 


WOOD-THRUSH  FAMILY. 
Photographed  thirty  feet  from  the  ground.     The  young  are  ready  to  leave  their  nest. 


NATURE    AND    THE 

CAMERA  HOW  TO  PHOTO- 
GRAPH LIVE  BIRDS  AND  THEIR  NESTS; 
ANIMALS,  WILD  AND  TAME;  REPTILES; 
INSECTS;  FISH  AND  OTHER  AQUATIC 
FORMS;  FLOWERS,  TREES,  AND  FUNGI 


BY 

A.    RADCLYFFE    DUGMORE 

AUTHOR  OF  "BIRD  HOMES" 
ILLUSTRATED  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


NEW   YORK 
DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE   &   CO. 

1903 


Copyright,  1902 

DOUBLEDAY,    PAGE    &    Co. 

Published  November,  IQO2 


*8  iHanfjattan 

gorft,  aa.  A.  a. 


This  little  book  is  dedicated,  as  a  slight  token  of  esteem,  to  my 
friend  H.  W.  L.,  who  by  the  interest  he  has  shown  in  things 
natural  has  earned  the  gratitude  of  all  students  and  lovers  of  nature 


280173 


INTRODUCTION 

As  a  means  of  studying  nature  in  most  of  its  many 
forms,  there  is,  perhaps,  nothing  better  than  the 
camera.  Not  only  does  it  teach  us  to  see  much  that 
would  otherwise  pass  unnoticed,  but  it  enables  us  to 
make  records  of  what  we  see  —  records  that  are,  as  a 
rule,  infinitely  better  and  more  useful  than  pencil 
notes ;  and  the  studying  and  photographing  of  one 
subject  leads  to  another,  and  so  we  go  from  birds  to 
insects,  from  insects  to  flowers,  and  from  flowers  to 
trees,  until  we  have  an  acquaintance  with  things 
natural  more  intimate  and  far  broader  in  its  scope 
than  would  have  resulted  had  we  been  content  simply 
to  try  to  see  things  and  write  notes  on  them. 

Nowadays,  when  every  school  has  or  should  have 
its  nature  class,  we  find  children  scarcely  out  of  the 
kindergarten  who  know  more  about  our  wild  birds 
and  flowers  than  the  great  majority  of  the  grown-up 
people  to  whom  nature  study  was  an  unknown  thing 
when  they  were  young.  To  foster  this  desire  in 
children  to  know  more  of  the  life  about  them  is 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

one's  duty,  for  not  only  is  there  great  pleasure  to  be 
derived  from  such  knowledge  and  healthful  exercise 
in  the  search  of  material,  but  knowing  something 
about  the  birds,  trees,  or  insects  enables  them  through- 
out life  to  work  intelligently  for  the  preservation  of 
that  which  needs  protection.  Game  laws  would  be 
respected  more  generally  if  people  would  only  realise 
what  they  mean.  The  senseless  and  wanton  killing 
of  animal  life  that  goes  on  all  around  us  would  not 
be  tolerated  if  there  was  more  knowledge  of  the 
value  of  such  life.  How  often  do  we  see  people 
kill  hawks,  thinking  that  they  are  doing  a  good  deed, 
just  as  the  various  Christian  sects  burned  or  otherwise 
killed  one  another  in  days  gone  by,  fully  believing 
that  such  acts  were  for  the  good  of  the  world.  Let 
the  man  who  kills  a  hawk  or  even  a  snake  first  in- 
quire into  the  habits  of  that  particular  kind  of  hawk 
or  snake,  and  usually  he  will  find  that  by  killing  it 
he  will  be  doing  harm  to  his  own  interests.  So  it 
will  be  seen  that  there  is  much  to  be  gained  by  en- 
couraging the  study  of  nature  in  any  or  all  her  forms, 
and,  as  has  already  been  said,  there  is  nothing  that 
will  give  the  beginner  an  interest  in  the  subject  any 
more  quickly  or  with  greater  certainty  than  the 
camera.  Nearly  every  one,  young  or  old,  possesses 
some  variety  of  camera,  and  yet  so  few  ever  attempt 
the  portrayal  of  anything  save  people  and  views! 
Let  them  direct  their  energies  toward  photograph- 


INTRODUCTION  vii 

ing  the  details  of  almost  any  common  object  in  na- 
ture, and  they  will  be  astonished  to  find  how  much 
there  is  to  interest  them  in  that  object.  Take  a 
photograph  of  a  landscape,  and  even  though  it  may 
be  beautiful,  it  is,  after  all,  much  like  hundreds  of 
other  landscapes.  But  take  any  one  of  the  objects 
represented  in  the  view,  such  as  the  different  grasses, 
the  flowers,  or  the  trees,  and  how  much  more  inter- 
esting would  they  be  if  well  photographed  in  detail ! 

It  is  in  the  hope  of  helping  those  who  are  merely 
beginners  in  the  art  of  photographing  any  of  the 
forms  of  nature  that  this  little  book  is  offered. 
Knowing  how  many  and  varied  are  the  difficulties 
encountered  by  the  nature  photographer,  it  has  been 
the  endeavour  throughout  these  chapters  to  take  note 
of  the  principal  difficulties  that  have  been  met  by  the 
author,  and,  wherever  possible,  give  such  suggestions 
as  might  be  of  help  in  overcoming  them.  No  se- 
crets have  been  withheld,  and  any  so-called  "  tricks 
of  the  trade  "  are  explained  frankly.  At  best  a  book 
of  this  size  can  but  touch  on  many  of  the  subjects; 
to  give  a  full  account  of  how  to  treat  each  subject 
would  require  many  volumes  and  would  prove  very 
tiresome  reading.  Everything  has  been  made  as 
brief  as  was  thought  compatible  with  clearness,  and 
technical  terms  have  so  far  as  possible  been  avoided. 

The  illustrations  are  of  course  from  life  and  were 
selected  from  a  collection  of  nearly  three  thousand 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

negatives   made  by  the  author  during   the  last  few 
years. 

To  the  expert  in  nature  photography  this  book 
will  prove  of  little  or  perhaps  no  use,  and  he  must 
accept  it  with  the  apologies  of  the  author  for  any 
statements  that  may  clash  with  his  own  ideas.  The 
suggestions  and  advice  given  are  simply  based  on  the 
personal  experience  of  the  writer  and  are  offered  for 
what  they  are  worth. 

A.  RADCLYFFE  DUGMORE. 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER   I 

PHOTOGRAPHIC    OUTFIT    AND    MANIPULATIONS 

PAGE 

Part        I.     Apparatus     .- .  .     .     .'7     ...     .     .         3 

Part  II.  The  Dark  Room,  Developing,  Printing, 
Double  Printing,  Retouching,  Ex- 
posures    .....  13 

CHAPTER    II 

PHOTOGRAPHING    BIRDS    AND    THEIR    NESTS 

Part        I.     Nests  Containing  Eggs    .     .     .     .     .     .       22 

Part      II.     Photographing  Nests  Containing  Young 

Birds    .     .     .     .    .:     .     .     .     .     .     .       35 

Part    III.     Photographing  the  Nest  with  the  Sitting 

Bird :    .....       40 

Part     IV.     Photographing  Nests  with  Old  Birds  and 

their  Young  .........       45 

Part      V.     Photographing     Old     Birds     and     their 

Young  after  They  Leave  the  Nest      .       50 

Part    VI.     Photographing  Young  Birds  Alone,  both 

Wild  and  Tame      .......       56 

Part  VII.     Photographing    the    Adult    Bird,   Wild 

and  Tame .64 

ix 


x  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    III 

PHOTOGRAPHING    ANIMALS 

PAGE 

Part        I.     Wild  Animals  at  Large   ......       73 

Part      II.     Wild  Animals  in  Captivity 80 

Part    III.      Photographing  Domestic  Animals      .     .        84 

CHAPTER   IV 
Photographing  Reptiles 86 

CHAPTER   V 

Photographing  Insects     .     , 89 

CHAPTER   VI 

PHOTOGRAPHING    FISH    AND    OTHER    AQUATIC    LIFE 

Part        I.     The  Aquarium  and  Outfit 91 

Part     II.     Accessories  and  their  Preparation  ...       97 
Part    III.     Handling  and  Photographing  the  Fish   .      103 

CHAPTER   VII 

PHOTOGRAPHING    TREES,    SHRUBS,    FLOWERS,    ETC. 

Part        I.     Trees,     Flowers,     Ferns,     Leaves,    and 

Grasses  in  their  Natural  Surroundings     114 

Part      II.     Photographing  Cut  Flowers,  Leaves  and 

Fruits 121 

Part    III.     Photographing  Fungi 124 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

Wood-thrush  family  photographed  thirty  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  young  are  ready  to  leave  their  nest    .      .     .       Frontispiece 


FACING  PAGE 


Woodcock  on   its  nest.     The   photograph  was  made  with  a 
premo  lens,  ray-filter,  isochromatic  plate  ;  exposure  forty 

seconds.      Made  during  a  heavy  shower  .     .     »     ,     .     .  22 

Young  blue  jays  getting  ready  to  leave  their  nest     . ,     '.     .     .  24 

Oven-bird's  nest       .      .      .     V     ,     .     ..'*..     .     .     .  26 

Long-billed  marsh-wren's  nest     .      .     .     ...     .     ...  28 

Nest  of  downy  woodpecker.     A  hole  was  cut  in  the  branch 

in  order  to  show  the  position  of  the  eggs 32 

Young  crows  in  nest     .      .      .     .     V  '•-.     *     V- "••*•-   ...     .  38 

Wood-thrush  on  its  nest.      Exposure  about  four  seconds  with 

single  combination  of  Goerz  lens 42 

Worm-eating  warbler  and  young.      Illustrating  the  tameness  of 

a  comparatively  rare  bird 48 

Blue-winged  warbler  and  her  young       . 50 

Chipping  sparrow  feeding  its  young. 50 

Worm-eating  warbler  family 52 

Indigo-bird  about  to  feed  her  young 54 

Indigo-bird  feeding  her  young 54 

Field-sparrow  feeding  its  young .  56 


XI 


xii  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING    PAGE 

Three  young  Baltimore  orioles  and  young  catbird.  Illustrat- 
ing an  effective  method  of  lighting ;  using  back  light  and 
front  reflecting-cloth 58 

Three  young  Baltimore  orioles.  Illustrating  the  advantage  of 
effective  lighting  where  the  bird  is  young  and  has  fluff- 
like  feathers  .  .  . 60 

Young  bluebird  .      .      .      .    ' 62 

Young  catbird.     Showing  effective  lighting  when  the  subject 

is  dark 62 

Young  crested  flycatchers 64 

Young  crested  flycatchers  ready  for  food 64 

Young  flickers.     The  white  tips  of  the  bills  show  where  the 

hardening  is  taking  place 66 

Young  red-eyed  vireo  the  day  after  leaving  the  nest.  This 
illustrates  the  disadvantage  of  a  partly  shaded  background 
of  leaves 68 

Immature  bluebird.    Illustrating  the  ordinary  method  of  lighting  68 

Redpoll.     An  example  of  photography  on  the  snow       ...  70 

Redpoll 70 

Cedar-bird  in  wild-cherry  tree 72 

Tern 74 

Downy  woodpecker  calling  while   climbing  apple  branch   in 

search  of  food 76 

Phoebe  photographed  by  means  of  a  mirror,  the  sunlight  being 
thrown  on  the  bird,  who  perched  frequently  on  this  dead 
twig,  which  was  in  shade 76 

Porcupine  in  its  wild  state 78 

A  well-behaved  'possum 7^ 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  xiii 

FACING    PAGE 

Prairie-dog  on  edge  of  its  burrow,  in  the  Washington  National 

Zoo  ....     .     .     .    «.  ' 80 

A  pair  of  pronghorn  antelopes  photographed  in  the  Washing- 
ton National  Zoo 80 

Tree-toad.     .      »-  .     ......      .      .      .     .     .'    .     .  84 

Tree-toad.     An  excellent  example  of  protective  marking    .      .  84 

Bullfrog  resting  at  surface  of  water 86 

Bullfrog  standing  half  submerged  in  water 86 

Garter-snake 88 

Snapping-turtles  fighting 88 

Moth  unfolding  its  wings  after  leaving  cocoon 90 

Yellow  angel-fish.     Showing  its  natural  surroundings     .      .      .104 

Moonfish 1 06 

Garfish      .      .     .     > .     .  1 08 

Bluefish.      Being  a  surface-fish,  no  accessories  are  necessary    .  no 

Squirrel-fish.     This  is  a  bright  red  fish,  and  the  photograph 

illustrates  the  advantage  of  the  isochromatic  plate  .      .      .  112 

Skunk-cabbage,  leaf  unfolding.     April  19,  1901 114 

Skunk-cabbage,  leaves  nearly  open.     April  19,  1901      .      .      .114 

Violets  (Viola  bicolor) 116 

Pink  hepatica.     April  23,  1901 118 

Bloodroot  and  hepatica.     April  19,  1901 .120 

Fringed  gentian 122 

Jack-in-pulpit.      May  1 8,  1901 124 


Nature  and  the  Camera 


NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

CHAPTER  I 

PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT   AND    MANIPULATIONS 

PART   I 

APPARATUS 

As  the  outfit  necessary  for  the  thoroughly  equipped 
nature  photographer  is  of  great  importance,  the  reader 
must  pardon  what  may  appear  to  him  to  be  an  un- 
necessary amount  of  detail,  and  also  excuse  any 
statements  that  conflict  with  his  ideas.  Each  man 
sees  things  in  a  different  way,  and  I  simply  give  my 
opinions,  which,  though  based  on  a  fair  amount  of 
experience,  are  not  supposed  to  be  final.  To  influ- 
ence a  man  in  the  choice  of  cameras  or  developers 
or  plates  would  be  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  absurd  as 
trying  to  tell  a  man  which  gun  to  use.  It  is  not  for 
the  advanced  student  in  nature  photography  that  this 
chapter  is  written,  but  for  the  tyro,  who,  in  beginning 
the  work  of  photographing  things  natural,  runs  up 

3 


4  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

against  a  list  of  apparatus  as  long  as  it  is  perplexing. 
If  he  goes  to  a  dealer  he  will  more  than  likely  be 
recommended  to  use  the  things  upon  which  the 
dealer  makes  the  greatest  profit;  he  also  will  be 
induced  to  buy  a  number  of  quite  unnecessary  things; 
and  as  the  dealer  is  seldom  a  really  practical  photog- 
rapher, many  of  the  most  i'mportant  articles  will  be 
left  out.  A  great  difficulty  in  giving  anything  like  a 
complete  list  of  apparatus  needed  is  the  constant 
change  in  all  photographic  supplies.  A  camera  that 
would  be  best  to-day  might  in  a  week's  time  be  super- 
seded by  something  so  much  better  that  the  older 
one  would  be  thrown  aside  for  the  newer  inven- 
tion. It  is  not  so  very  long  ago  that  the  twin-lens 
camera,  commonly  called  the  "  two-decker,"  was  the 
only  camera  with  which  one  could  focus  on  an 
object  and  at  the  same  time  have  the  plate  ready  for 
an  exposure.  Then  came  the  reflex,  and  now  we 
have  the  graflex,  which,  though  expensive,  is  about 
all  that  can  be  wished  for.  Being  strongly  made,  it 
will  withstand  the  rough  usage  incidental  to  natural- 
history  photography.  Its  long  draw  of  bellows 
allows  of  the  use  of  a  twelve-inch  lens,  and  for 
objects  up  to  within  about  ten  feet  distant  a  six-inch 
lens  with  hand-camera  telephoto  attachment  can  be 
used.  The  shutter  is  of  the  latest  pattern  of  focal 
plane  which  works  near  the  plate;  by  this  method 
the  greatest  possible  amount  of  illumination  is  re- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  5 

ceived  by  the  plate,  so  that  very  short  exposures 
may  be  given  with  good  results.  All  these  advan- 
tages, combined  with  the  ease  of  focussing  on  any 
object,  whether  at  rest  or  in  motion,  make  such  a 
camera  of  the  greatest  possible  value  to  the  photog- 
rapher of  animate  nature.  A  bird  may  be  caught 
on  the  wing  with  as  much  ease  and  certainty  as  if  it 
were  mounted. 

For  flowers  and  many  kinds  of  work  the  regular 
long-focus  camera  will  always  be  useful,  but  it  is  well 
to  remember  that  there  is  every  advantage  in  having 
the  back  focus  rather  than  the  front.  The  reason  is 
obvious.  The  back  focus  allows  you  to  keep  a  cer- 
tain distance  between  the  lens  and  the  object  while 
you  move  the  back  end  of  the  camera  until  the  cor- 
rect focus  is  obtained,  whereas,  if  the  back  is  rigid 
and  the  front  moves,  you  have  much  trouble  in  get- 
ting a  sharp  focus  on  a  very  near  object,  as  the  dis- 
tance between  the  object  and  the  lens  changes  while 
you  are  trying  to  get  the  correct  focus.  Almost  all 
the  modern  cameras  are  fitted  with  convenient  rever- 
sible backs,  and  most  necessary  arrangements  they  are. 
It  is  hard  to  realise  that  but  a  few  years  ago  the 
whole  camera  had  to  be  reversed,  where  now  only 
the  back  need  be  moved.  The  swing-back  is  another 
desirable  feature  in  a  camera,  far  more  so  than  the 
rising  front,  which  is  seldom  wanted,  except  where 
buildings  are  to  be  portrayed.  The  use  of  the  swing- 


6  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

back  is  not  always  understood  by  the  beginner :  its 
object  is  to  enable  him  to  bring  both  foreground 
and  distance  in  focus.  This  is  particularly  noticeable 
when  the  subject  in  hand  is  a  birds'  nest  or  some  such 
object  on  the  ground,  and  you  have  to  place  the 
camera  low  down.  The  part  of  the  foreground  near- 
est the  lens  is  so  very  near,  while  the  distance  is  so 
much  farther  off,  that,  to  have  the  whole  picture  in 
even  fairly  sharp  focus,  you  would  have  to  use  the 
smallest  diaphragm,  and  consequently  a  very  long 
exposure  would  be  needed.  By  using  the  swing- 
back,  swinging  the  upper  part  back  and  the  lower 
part  forward,  you  can  to  a  limited  extent  obviate  this. 
Remember  that  the  nearer  the  object  is  to  the  lens 
the  greater  must  be  the  distance  between  the  lens  and 
the  plate,  and  vice  versa;  and  as  the  back  swings,  so 
does  it  increase  or  decrease  the  distance  between  the 
lens  and  the  plate. 

In  the  matter  of  lenses  there  are  several  important 
things  for  the  nature  photographer  to  bear  in  mind. 
Speed  is  absolutely  necessary  in  most  branches  of 
work;  depth  of  focus  also  is  necessary  ;  perfect  defini- 
tion and  covering  power  are  equally  important.  To 
insure  covering  power  it  is  advisable  to  have  a  lens 
whose  covering  capacity  is  at  least  one  inch  greater 
than  the  largest  plate  you  intend  to  use.  Then  if  you 
use  the  rising  and  falling  front  you  can  use  it  without 
sacrificing  definition  at  the  upper  or  lower  end  of  the 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  7 

plate.  Length  of  focus  is  important,  in  that  it  gov- 
erns the  size  of  the  object  from  a  given  distance. 
The  greater  the  equivalent  length  of  focus  the  larger 
will  be  the  object,  and  the  less  will  be  the  distortion 
due  to  foreshortening.  A  short-focus  lens  fore- 
shortens all  objects  that  are  near  with  such  abrupt- 
ness as  to  cause  grotesque  distortion.  The  most 
useful  lens  for  all-round  work  is  one  whose  two  sys- 
tems or  combinations  can  be  used  separately.  By 
having  such  a  lens  you  have  practically  two  in  one, 
the  single  combination  having  about  double  the  focal 
length  of  the  couplet.  With  some  of  the  newer 
lenses,  such  as  the  plastigmat,  the  single  combinations 
may  be  used  for  instantaneous  work,  while  with  some 
of  the  other  highest  grade  lenses  the  single  combina- 
tions can  be  used  only  with  a  small  diaphragm.  The 
diaphragm  of  a  lens  is  used  —  to  give  a  very  untechnical 
description  —  to  increase  the  depth  of  focus  and  the 
covering  capacity  of  a  lens,  thereby  giving  greater 
definition  at  the  sacrifice  of  speed.  Each  number, 
such  as  F8,  Fi6,  etc.,  means,  for  practical  use,  that 
the  exposure  when  the  larger  figure  is  used  shall  be 
double  that  of  the  preceding  figure  ;  for  instance,  if, 
witn  the  diaphragm  set  at  F  1 6,  the  exposure  needed  is 
one  second,  at  F32  it  would  require  two  seconds, 
and  at  F  64  four  seconds.  It  will  be  seen  by  this  that 
for  instantaneous  work  the  lens  must  be  used  either 
open  or  with  a  large  diaphragm. 


8  NATURE  AND   THE  CAMERA 

On  the  subject  of  telephoto  lenses  we  must  confine 
ourselves  to  their  practical  use.  The  telephoto  is  an 
attachment  which  is  used  in  connection  with  an- 
other lens.  It  is  placed  back  of  the  lens  and  enlarges 
according  to  the  scale  marked  on  the  barrel.  As  the 
magnification  increases,  so  is  the  necessary  exposure 
lengthened,  for  which  reason  it  will  be  seen  that  for 
instantaneous  work  a  magnification  of,  say,  10  diam- 
eters would  be  out  of  the  question.  With  the 
Bausch  &  Lomb  hand-camera  telephoto  attachment 
fitted  to  the  plastigmat  lens,  exposures  of  one  hun- 
dredth part  of  a  second  may  be  made  if  conditions 
are  very  favorable  and  the  magnification  is  not  more 
than  about  2^  or  3  diameters.  Of  course  such  a 
plate  must  be  developed  carefully.  With  an  expo- 
sure of  a  twenty-fifth  of  a  second,  excellent  results 
can  be  obtained  in  bright  light.  The  high-power 
telephoto  lens  is  only  useful  when  the  object  to  be 
photographed  is  still  enough  to  allow  of  a  time 
exposure.  When  using  a  telephoto  lens  with  a  hand- 
camera  be  careful  to  hold  the  camera  firmly  :  the  least 
vibration  will  ruin  the  picture. 

The  tripod,  though  not  a  very  important  part  of 
the  outfit,  should  be  selected  with  care.  Be  sure  to 
have  one  that  is  sufficiently  rigid;  the  legs  should 
telescope  and  the  top  be  large  enough  to  give  the 
necessary  support  for  the  camera.  Be  sure  also  that 
the  legs  are  well  separated  at  the  top ;  that  is  to  say, 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  9 

they  must  not  come  close  together  near  the  centre  of 
the  top  ;  if  they  do,  the  tripod  will  never  be  steady. 

A  word  or  two  about  plate-holders  may  not  be 
amiss,  as  they  are  of  vital  importance.  Never  choose 
a  holder  because  it  is  light.  The  lighter  it  is  the 
less  wood  (if  it  is  made  of  wood)  is  used,  and  conse- 
quently the  less  strength  it  has.  Scarcely  any  of  the 
plate-holders '  on  the  American  market  to-day  are 
proof  against  half  an  hour  of  strong  sunlight,  while 
with  most  of  them  the  plate  would  be  hopelessly 
fogged  if  the  sun  shone  on  the  holder  for  half  a 
minute.  Even  the  slides  are  not  really  opaque.  If 
they  are  made  of  rubber  they  become  soft  in  hot 
weather  and  brittle  when  it  is  cold.  The  paper 
slides  are  better,  but  they  wear  out  quickly  and  do 
not  stand  dampness.  The  best  kind  are  made  of 
some  preparation  of  celluloid.  These  are  opaque, 
withstand  any  cold,  but  are  apt  to  become  soft  while 
they  are  hot.  Any  plate-holder  which  does  not 
allow  of  the  plate  being  inserted  and  removed  easily 
is  not  to  be  recommended,  as  we  often  have  to  change 
plates  in  the  field,  when  the  luxury  of  a  dark  room 
is  of  course  unknown,  and  when  buried  in  a  sleeping- 
bag  on  a  hot  evening,  we  do  not  relish  having  to 
remove  plates  from  a  holder  when  they  insist  on 
sticking;  it  is  a  test  too  severe  for  any  one's  patience. 

From  plate-holders  we  naturally  turn  to  changing- 
bags.  There  are  very  few  kinds  on  the  market  (ex- 


10      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

cept  in  England),  and  it  is  difficult  to  find  one  that 
is  satisfactory.  Most  of  them  are  good  enough  for  a 
very  short  time,  but  they  invariably  leak  if  they  are 
used  for  any  length  of  time.  If  made  of  any  material 
containing  rubber,  they  are  useless,  as  the  rubber  soon 
perishes.  Of  the  materials  which  I  have  tried,  pan- 
tasote  seems  the  best.  It  is  absolutely  light-tight, 
and  wears  well.  A  simple  form  that  answers  for  a 
changing-bag  is  a  square  box-shaped  bag  well  rein- 
forced and  bound  on  the  edges.  At  each  corner 
there  is  a  loop  to  which  cords  are  attached  that  will 
hold  the  bag  in  position  ;  two  sleeve-like  openings 
(with  rubber  bands  to  hold  them  closely  about  one's 
arm)  on  one  side  admit  the  arms,  and  should  be  made 
large  enough  to  let  the  plate-holders  enter.  For  a 
changing-bag  this  is  all  that  is  needed.  Of  course 
we  cannot  see  what  we  are  doing,  but  that  is  seldom 
necessary  when  once  we  know  our  plate-holders. 

.  A  really  portable  field-developing  tent  is  one  of 
the  much-needed  things.  At  present  there  is  nothing 
on  the  market  in  this  country,  though  I  understand 
one  is  about  to  be  made.  There  are  two  patterns 
of  these  tents  or  boxes:  one  in  which  you  put  your 
arms  inside,  and  with  your  head  outside  you  look 
through  a  yellow  glass  window,  another  yellow  or 
red  window  being  on  the  opposite  side.  This  has 
the  advantage  of  coolness,  but  it  is  difficult  to  see 
very  clearly.  The  other  is  a  cloth  and  wood  box  or 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  11 

tent  with  a  bag-like  opening,  which  is  tied  round  the 
waist,  so  that  one's  head  and  arms  are  inside.  In  cool 
weather  this  is  all  very  well,  but  in  hot  weather  it 
is  frightfully  uncomfortable  for  one's  self  and  danger- 
ous for  the  plates. 

In  going  on  a  long  trip  it  is  well  to  be  provided 
with  a  small  quantity  of  concentrated  developer,  two 
rubber  or  celluloid  trays,  and  a  small  red  candle- 
lamp,  in  order  to  make  a  test  negative  once  in  a 
while  to  be  sure  that  everything  is  going  properly. 
Nothing  can  be  more  disappointing  than  to  find 
after  a  long  trip  that  through  some  small  defect  in 
camera  or  shutter  all  your  work  is  spoiled  ;  and  yet 
such  occurrences  are  by  no  means  uncommon. 

The  question  of  what  plate  to  use  is  an  important 
one,  and  one  which  every  man  must  answer  for  him- 
self. Almost  any  of  the  good  makes  are  good,  and 
generally  the  complaints  made  against  them  are 
unfounded,  those  who  make  the  criticisms  being 
usually  beginners  who  think  it  smart  to  find  fault. 
For  all  work  where  colour-values  require  to  be  ren- 
dered accurately,  isochromatic  plates  are  necessary,  the 
slower  kind  being  most  truly  isochromatic.  With 
gain  in  speed  there  is  loss  in  their  sensitiveness  to 
the  reds,  greens,  and  yellows.  Backed  isochromatic 
plates  are  the  ideal  kind,  combining  as  they  do  all 
the  virtues  of  both  the  nonhalation  and  isochromatic 
properties.  For  sky  effects  they  are  perfect.  Non- 


12     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

halation  plates  are  those  which  prevent  the  blurring 
around  the  strongly  lighted  parts;  as,  for  instance,  a 
window  from  the  inside  of  a  room  would  be  a  blur 
with  an  ordinary  plate,  while  with  the  backed  or 
nonhalation  plate  the  edges  would  be  well  defined. 
Ordinary  plates  will  do  well  enough  for  snap-shot 
work,  provided  they  are  fast  enough.  It  is  well  to 
remember  that  the  more  rapid  the  plate  is  the  less 
latitude  you  have  in  exposure;  in  other  words,  the 
more  rapid  the  plate  the  more  nearly  correct  should 
the  exposure  be.  For  long  trips  where  weight  has 
to  be  considered,  cut  films  are  a  good  substitute  for 
plates.  These,  as  made  by  both  Carbut  and  Seed, 
are  really  excellent,  comparing  favourably  with  glass 
plates.  Their  keeping  qualities  also  are  good.  In 
using  ray-filters  —  and  the  best  of  them  are  of  col- 
oured glass  —  always  use  an  isochromatic  plate  ;  the 
exposure  is  of  course  increased  according  to  the 
density  of  the  colour-screen.  Over-exposure  is  a 
common  error  when  the  ray-filter  is  used.  With 
a  light-coloured  glass  and  isochromatic  plates  the 
exposure  is  increased  about  four  times  with  instan- 
taneous plates,  while  with  slow  plates  it  is  much 
less,  as  the  slow  isochromatic  plates  are  so  much 
more  sensitive  to  the  yellow  light. 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  13 


PART    II 

THE    DARK    ROOM,    DEVELOPING,    PRINTING,    DOUBLE    PRINTING, 
RETOUCHING,    EXPOSURES 

THE  DARK  ROOM. —  A  comfortable,  airy  dark 
room,  though  not  essential  to  good  work,  is  never- 
theless highly  desirable.  Much  excellent  work  is 
done  under  the  most  adverse  conditions  —  plates  are 
developed  under  beds,  in  bath-rooms,  and  in  all  man- 
ner of  places;  but  that  is  no  reason  why,  when  it  is 
possible,  we  should  not  have  a  room  adapted  to,  and 
solely  for,  developing.  Such  a  room  need  not  be 
large ;  four  by  five  feet  will  do,  though  it  is  better 
for  being  a  little  larger.  Do  not  on  any  account  have 
it  in  the  attic,  unless  you  expect  to  do  all  your  de- 
veloping at  night.  Even  then  in  hot  weather  you 
will  find  it  anything  but  comfortable.  The  cellar  is 
of  all  places  the  most  desirable:  it  is  nearly  always 
cool  in  the  summer,  and  if  there  is  a  furnace,  it  is 
quite  comfortable  in  the  coldest  weather. 

To  make  a  temporary  and  easily  constructed  dark 
room,  use  two  thicknesses  of  red  building-paper, 
supported  on  a  rough  but  rigid  framework.  The 
door  may  be  most  easily  and  safely  made  by  taking 
three  thicknesses  of  black  or  red  Canton  flannel,  or 
some  such  material,  and  hanging  it  so  that  the  edges 
of  the  cloth  overlap.  If  the  bottom  has  a  wide  hem 


14     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

filled  with  shot  or  sand,  it  will  keep  the  curtain  in 
close  contact  with  the  floor.  The  window  is  easily 
made  by  cutting  a  hole  of  the  desired  size  and  cov- 
ering it  with  ruby  cloth  and  orange  paper.  A  lamp 
on  a  bracket  outside  will  give  the  best  and  most 
steady  light  without  heating  the  room.  An  extra 
piece  of  ruby  paper  or  cloth  should  shield  the  light 
when  isochromatic  plates  are  being  used. 

If  by  tapping  the  water-pipe  you  can  have  running 
water,  do  so,  as  you  will  find  it  is  well  worth  the 
small  cost.  A  plentiful  supply  of  water  is  the  way 
to  be  sure  of  having  everything  clean,  and  cleanliness 
in  photographic  work  counts  for  a  great  deal. 

Inside  the  dark  room  the  shelves  should  be  ar- 
ranged so  that  there  will  be  a  place  for  changing 
plates,  a  place  for  the  developing  trays,  a  small  shelf 
for  chemicals  and  graduates,  and  another  shelf  below 
all  the  others  for  the  fixing-bath.  Having  this  below 
the  shelf  on  which  the  developing  is  done  insures 
one  against  the  possibility  of  having  drops  of  hypo 
fall  into  the  developer. 

DEVELOPING. —  While  it  might  be  taken  for  granted 
that  the  reader  knows  how  to  develop,  still  a  few 
words  may  be  said  on  the  subject  for  the  benefit  of 
the  beginner.  Developing  a  plate  is,  briefly  speak- 
ing, subjecting  an  exposed  plate  which  holds  a  latent 
image  to  the  action  of  certain  chemicals  which  will 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  15 

reduce  the  bromide  of  silver  to  metallic  silver  —  in 
other  words,  the  developing  agent  causes  the  image 
to  appear.  The  image  will,  of  course,  appear  re- 
versed; that  is  to  say,  the  objects  which  in  nature 
are  black  will  show  transparent,  while  the  white  ob- 
jects become  black.  This  is  caused  by  the  action  of 
light  on  the  sensitive  film:  white,  reflecting  more 
light,  acts  energetically  on  the  film,  while  black,  re- 
flecting as  it  does  no  light  or  scarcely  any,  has  cor- 
respondingly little  effect  on  the  film. 

Now,  of  the  important  considerations  in  making 
a  negative,  the  first  is  to  have  it  correctly  exposed; 
the  next  is  to  use  the  developer  best  suited  to  the 
subject  and  the  plate.  There  are  so  many  developers 
to-day  that  it  is  no  wonder  the  beginner  becomes 
confused  in  trying  to  select  "  the  best."  It  is  not  so 
very  long  ago  (up  to  about  1880,  I  think)  that  pyro 
and  ferrous  oxalate  were  the  only  two  ;  then  came 
hydroquinone,  which  in  turn  was  followed  by  the 
vast  number  which  we  see  to-day.  Some  of  them 
are  good,  but  as  a  rule  they  are  too  violent.  Pyro 
still  holds  its  own  with  those  who  do  not  object  to 
its  finger-staining  properties.  With  each  brand  of 
plates  the  makers  give  the  formula  best  suited  to  the 
plate,  and  we  cannot  do  much  better  than  follow 
their  directions.  For  my  own  part,  I  prefer  pyro  to 
all  others  for  general  work.  Occasionally,  for  a  very 
much  under-exposed  plate,  edinol  or  metol  or  some 


16  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

such  developer  may  be  used  with  advantage,  especially 
in  hot  weather. 

In  developing  a  plate,  one  should  always  keep  it 
under  control  and  watch  it  carefully,  so  that  it  may 
be  removed  when  the  proper  density  is  reached. 
Under-exposed  plates  need  less  acid  and  more  water, 
and  over-exposed  plates  require  less  alkali,  a  stronger 
developer,  and  a  small  quantity  of  restrainer,  such  as 
bromide  of  potassium  -(ordinary  salt  will  do  in  an 
emergency).  With  a  plate  correctly  timed  the 
quality  may  be  regulated  by  the  relative  proportion 
of  the  ingredients.  Thus  when  the  developer  is 
weak  in  alkali  or  over-strong  in  acid,  the  plate  will 
give  the  effect  of  under-exposure,  i.e.,  will  be  hard, 
with  decided  contrasts  and  little  detail  in  the  shad- 
ows; whereas,  if  the  proportions  were  reversed,  so 
that  the  alkali  predominates,  the  plate  would  be  flat, 
lacking  contrasts,  as  in  the  case  of  over-exposure.  A 
very  weak  developer  will  have  the  same  effect. 

A  much  over-exposed  plate  may  be  saved  by  being 
placed  in  a  bath  containing  a  small  quantity  of  re- 
strainer  and  the  developing  acid,  no  alkali  being 
used.  This  bath  should  be  kept  in  constant  motion, 
or  else  the  plate  will  have  irregular,  wave-like  mark- 
ings. When  removed  from  this  bath,  replace  the 
plate  in  the  ordinary  developer,  containing  some  re- 
strainer,  and  carry  the  development  much  further 
than  usual.  Under-exposed  plates  may  with  advan- 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  17 

tage  be  placed  in  a  weak  alkali  bath  for  as  much  as 
half  an  hour  before  development,  and  then  developed 
slowly  with  a  rather  weak  developer. 

If  a  plate  is  too  dense,  it  may  be  reduced,  after 
being  thoroughly  washed,  by  putting  it  in  a  bath 
containing  about  three  per  cent,  of  persulphate  of 
ammonia,  then  thoroughly  washed.  A  plate  that  is 
too  thin  but  has  detail  may  be  improved  by  intensify- 
ing ;  but  an  under-exposed  plate  having  strong  high 
lights  and  transparent  shadows  should  be  reduced 
rather  than  intensified.  A  good  bath  is  made  of  a 
saturated  solution  of  bichloride  of  mercury.  When 
thoroughly  whitened,  rinse  the  plate  and  blacken  it 
in  a  weak  bath  of  aqua  ammonia  or  sulphite  of  soda. 
The  plate  must  be  free  from  all  trace  of  hypo,  other- 
wise there  will  be  yellow  stains  or  irregular  intensi- 
fication. 

In  all  cases  be  sure  to  dust  your  plates  carefully 
before  placing  them  in  the  tray.  Wash  the  plates 
thoroughly  before  fixing,  and  fix  with  fresh  hypo 
bath,  except  when  the  weather  is  hot ;  then  the 
acid  fixing-bath  recommended  by  the  Cramer  plate- 
makers  should  be  used.  It  hardens  the  film  and 
keeps  well,  and  allows  of  any  after  treatment  that 
may  be  necessary  for  the  plate.  Another  good  hard- 
ener is  formaline  (i  part  to  16  of  water).  This  may 
be  used  either  before  or  after  fixing.  Its  keeping 
qualities  are  good,  and  it  may  be  used  repeatedly, 


i8  NATURE   AND  THE   CAMERA 

allowing  the  plate  to  remain  in  it  for  from  one  to 
three  minutes. 


PRINTING. —  In  making  a  negative  the  prints  must, 
of  course,  be  thought  of  and  the  plate  made  that  will 
best  suit  the  paper  one  expects  to  use.  Each  kind  of 
paper  requires  a  certain  quality  of  negative.  Although 
these  qualities  cannot  very  well  be  expressed  in  writ- 
ing, they  will  soon  be  discovered.  The  extremes  may 
be  said  to  be  albumen,  which  requires  a  strong,  dense 
negative,  and  velox,  which  gives  the  best  results  when 
the  negative  is  thin  and  full  of  detail. 

For  most  printing-out  papers  (papers  which  show 
the  image  while  printing)  the  printing  should  be 
done  in  the  shade  if  the  plate  is  thin,  and  in  strong 
sunlight  when  a  dense  plate  is  being  printed  from. 
Subdued  light  increases  contrast,  strong  light  de- 
creases it. 

Local  printing,  which  often  saves  a  picture,  is 
accomplished  by  letting  the  light  strike  the  plate 
locally,  being  careful  not  to  have  hard  edges.  A 
piece  of  cardboard  with  a  hole  cut  in  it  will  enable 
one  to  concentrate  the  light  on  the  parts  requiring 
the  most  printing.  Do  not,  however,  place  it  too 
close  to  the  plate. 

A  very  flat  sky  is  much  improved  by  allowing  the 
light  to  fall  on  the  paper  very  gradually  (after  the 
printing  is  finished  and  the  paper  removed  from 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  19 

the  frame),  letting  the  upper  part  become  fairly  dark, 
while  the  lower  part  remains  light.  So  much  can 
be  done  by  manipulating  a  print ;  in  skilful  hands 
a  poor  negative  may  be  made  to  yield  a  very  fair 
print,  but  only  after  a  great  deal  of  practice  can 
much  be  accomplished. 

DOUBLE  PRINTING. —  There  are  times  when  the 
background  of  a  picture  may  have  been  injured, 
while  the  central  object,  be  it  a  person  or  an  ani- 
mal, is  quite  clear,  or  perhaps  it  is  desirable  to  alter 
the  surroundings  of  an  object.  In  order  to  do  this, 
double  printing  is  resorted  to.  Two  negatives  are 
used,  one  of  the  background  and  the  other  of  the 
figure.  (Be  sure  the  two  are  in  correct  proportion.) 
This  latter  negative  is  painted  out  with  opaque 
colour,  leaving  the  figure  untouched.  Of  course  the 
edge  must  be  very  carefully  followed.  Then  a  print 
of  this  figure  is  made,  and  that  is  carefully  cut  out, 
thoroughly  darkened,  and  laid  against  the  background 
negative  in  exactly  the  place  where  it  is  needed. 
A  print  is  now  made  from  this  negative  which,  when 
done,  will  leave  a  white  space  exactly  the  size  and  form 
of  the  figure.  The  next  step  is  to  fit  this  print  against 
the  figure  negative  and  make  a  print  from  it.  The 
resulting  picture  will  show  no  joint,  if  the  work  has 
been  properly  done.  A  little  retouching  on  the  edge 
will  easily  cover  up  any  small  defects  in  the  joining. 


20      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

RETOUCHING  AND  SPOTTING. —  Both  negatives  and 
prints  may  frequently  be  improved  by  a  little  judi- 
cious retouching:  an  outline  accentuated,  a  little 
detail  worked  up,  or  a  high  light  strengthened  will 
often  do  much  to  enhance  the  beauty  of  a  photo- 
graph and  render  it  more  suitable  for  reproduction. 
This  retouching  may  be  done  on  either  the  negative 
or  the  print,  or  both. 

For  the  negative  a  balsam  preparation  known  as 
retouching-fluid  is  rubbed  softly  over  the  film.  This 
gives  it  a  "  tooth/'  so  that  a  lead-pencil  will  mark  it. 
When  fine  work  is  needed,  such  as  in  working  up 
the  hair  on  an  animal,  a  very  hard  and  finely  pointed 
pencil  should  be  used,  HHHH  being  none  too  hard. 
For  softening  shadows  H  is  hard  enough.  Occa- 
sionally, where  broad  masses  of  shadow  are  to  be 
held  back,  a  very  thin  and  light  wash  of  pale  aniline 
yellow,  applied  with  a  brush,  will  answer. 

In  working  up  a  negative,  if  one  has  not  a  regular 
retouching-frame,  lay  the  plate  in  a  printing-frame, 
prop  it  up  so  as  to  face  a  window,  and  place  a  piece 
of  white  paper  in  such  a  way  as  to  throw  a  reflected 
light  against  the  plate. 

Spotting  a  negative  is  simply  filling  in  the  small 
clear  spots  that  are  caused  either  by  dust  or  by  bub- 
bles in  the  developer.  The  medium  used  for  this  is 
either  a  preparation  known  as  "  opaque,"  or  water- 
colour  paint,  or  even  Indian  ink.  The  density  of 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   OUTFIT  21 

the  paint  must,  of  course,  correspond  with  that  of 
the  plate  at  the  place  where  the  hole  is  in  the  film. 
For  retouching  prints  both  paint  and  pencil  are 
used.  For  the  platinum  papers  a  soft  pencil  or  char- 
coal gray  and  white  (water-colour)  will  serve.  With 
the  smooth,  g^ssy  papers,  water-colours  mixed  with 
a  little  albumen  or  gum  arabic  will  allow  of  almost 
any  degree  of  retouching.  In  doing  work  for  repro- 
duction, it  is  often  necessary  to  accentuate  detail  in 
the  shadows.  It  should,  however,  be  done  carefully, 
as  the  photographic  effect  is  easily  lost. 

EXPOSURES. —  There  is  but  one  master  who  can  teach 
us  how  to  expose  a  piate  correctly  under  all  condi- 
tions. That  master  is  experience.  Correct  exposure 
depends  so  much  on  the  quality  of  print  we  want 
that  it  is  impossible  to  give  any  rules  on  the  subject. 
An  under-exposed  plate  yields  a  hard  negative  with 
strong  contrasts,  while  the  result  of  over-exposure  is 
flatness  —  lack  of  contrast.  To  a  limited  extent 
these  defects  may  be  corrected  in  the  developer,  but 
if  the  plate  is  very  much  under-timed,  no  power  can 
save  it.  On  the  other  hand,  a  very  much  over- 
exposed plate  may,  with  care,  be  made  into  a  good 
negative.  So  if  you  are  in  doubt  about  what  expo- 
sure to  give,  be  sure  to  give  enough  —  too  much 
rather  than  too  little. 


CHAPTER    II 

PHOTOGRAPHING  BIRDS   AND    THEIR   NESTS 
PART  I 

NESTS     CONTAINING     EGGS 

Outfit  required. —  Long- focus  camera.  Ordinary  lens,  the  longer  the 
focal  length  the  better.  Plate-holders.  Dark  cloth  (not  rubber). 
Isochromatic  plates.  Tripod  with  fourfold  telescopic  legs  and  extra 
extension  legs,  attachable.  Ball-and-socket  camera  attachment.  Small 
mirror.  White  reflecting-cloth.  Pair  pruners.  Lock-saw.  Climb- 
ing-irons. 

ARMED  with  this  apparently  elaborate  outfit,  we  will 
begin  with  what  may  perhaps  be  considered  one  of 
the  most  simple  branches  of  natural-history  photog- 
raphy. Photographing  a  nest,  though  not  difficult 
except  in  certain  peculiar  cases,  calls  for  a  consider- 
able degree  of  artistic  sense,  for  so  much  depends 
on  the  composition  of  the  subject  and  on  the 
lighting.  A  nest  properly  lighted  makes  a  beauti- 
ful picture,  one  that  calls  for  the  admiration  of  all  who 
see  it.  But  look  at  a  photograph  of  the  same  nest 
taken  without  the  slightest  regard  to  the  lighting, 

22 


C/2      <jj 

M     ^ 


w  s 

o    g 

14. 

li 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS  AND   EGGS     23 

and  it  is  absolutely  uninteresting,  at  any  rate  from  a 
pictorial  point  of  view.  Another  thing  to  be  borne 
in  mind  is  the  arranging  of  the  surroundings.  It  is 
frequently  necessary  to  remove  some  of  the  small 
branches  and  leaves  that  the  nest  may  be  seen  to  bet- 
ter advantage.  In  doing  this  the  greatest  care  must 
be  observed.  The  cutting  away  of  much  of  the  sur- 
rounding vegetation  would  leave  the  nest  unprotected. 
It  is  therefore  advisable  to  resort  to  tying  back  the 
branches  that  form  the  principal  obstruction,  cutting 
away  only  the  smaller  twigs  or  leaves.  Don't  break 
these  twigs,  for  in  doing  so  you  are  very  apt  to  shake 
the  nest,  and  perhaps  loosen  it  from  its  support. 
Cutters,  such  as  those  used  in  pruning  trees,  are  best 
adapted  to  this  use.  If  a  twig  has  to  be  cut,  darken 
the  white  end  with  some  wet  earth  that  it  may  not 
show  in  the  photograph,  or,  better  still,  arrange  a  leaf 
in  such  a  way  that  the  cut-off  end  may  be  hidden. 
Almost  every  variety  of  nest  requires  some  special 
method  of  treatment,  so  it  will  perhaps  be  best  to 
commence  with  the  ground  nests  and  work  up 
through  the  most  important  types. 

GROUND  NESTS. —  A  typical  ground  nest  of  the  simple 
form  is  the  woodcock's.  Placed,  as  it  usually  is,  in 
fairly  open  wood  or  swampy  land,  it  offers  an  easy 
mark  for  the  photographer.  The  first  thing  to  do 
after  finding  this  or  any  other  kind  of  nest  is  to 


24  NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

select  the  most  suitable  point  of  view,  one  that  shows 
the  nest  to  the  best  advantage  and  at  the  same  time 
gives  a  proper  idea  of  the  environment,  which  is  a 
very  important  consideration. 

Having  chosen  your  point,  remove  or  fasten  back 
the  intervening  branches.  The  view  of  the  nest 
being  comparatively  unobstructed,  place  your  camera 
on  a  very  low  tripod  or  even  on  a  pile  of  stones. 
The  object  of  this  is  to  avoid  the  effect  of  looking 
directly  down  on  the  nest,  for  that  simply  shows  a 
plan  of  the  nest  and  eggs,  without  giving  a  proper 
idea  of  either  its  form  or  its  position. 

In  these  plan-like  photographs  of  nests  it  is  some- 
times difficult  to  determine  whether  the  nest  is  in  a 
bush  or  on  the  ground.  Some  people  have  the  idea 
that  in  order  to  obtain  a  good  photograph  of  a  nest 
all  the  eggs  should  be  visible,  and  everything  is 
sacrificed  to  that  end.  I  have  seen  deep  nests,  such 
as  the  vireo's  or  even  the  Baltimore  oriole's,  photo- 
graphed directly  from  above,  so  that  only  the  rim  of 
the  nest  itself  was  visible.  In  this  way  no  idea  of  the 
exquisite  form  of  the  structure  was  given.  It  is  quite 
sufficient  if  about  half  of  the  egg  shows  in  the  pic- 
ture. The  nearer  ground  the  camera  is  placed,  to 
within  about  eight  inches,  the  better  will  be  the 
effect  of  ground;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that,  in 
addition  to  the  full  use  of  the  swing-back,  the  lens 
will  have  to  be  stopped  down  to  its  limit  (i.e.,  the 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS      25 

smallest  diaphragm  must  be  used),  otherwise  both 
the  immediate  foreground  and  the  part  a  short  dis- 
tance back  from  the  nest  will  be  completely  out  of 
focus.  The  long  exposure  made  necessary  by  the 
smallness  of  the  diaphragm  is  a  great  drawback  if 
there  is  much  wind  or  if  there  are  small  plants  whose 
leaves  and  flowers  are  affected  by  the  slightest  move- 
ment of  the  air. 

Ground  nests  situated  in  fields  or  any  place  where 
vegetation  is  abundant  are  less  easy  to  photograph. 
The  best  effects  are  secured  on  calm  days.  Direct 
sunlight  is  not*  only  unnecessary,  but  scarcely  to  be 
desired,  for  the  reason  that  the  shadows  are  inclined 
to  be  too  dark  and  the  eggs  will  not  show  their 
markings.  A  bright  cloudy  day  is  the  best  for  nest 
photography,  but  if  the  sun  is  shining  the  nest  may 
be  screened  by  means  of  a  piece  of  thin  white  mus- 
lin. This  will  allow  sufficient  light  to  pass,  so  that  it 
will  be  easy  to  make  a  brilliant  photograph.  On  no 
account  under-expose  your  plate  when  the  subject  is 
a  nest  flooded  with  sunlight.  Much  more  satisfac- 
tory results  are  to  be  obtained  by  erring  on  the  side 
of  over-exposure.  Those  hard  black-and-white  pho- 
tographs so  often  to  be  found  in  amateur  work  are 
the  result  of  under-exposure,  coupled  not  infre- 
quently with  faulty  development. 

A  nest  that  requires  special  attention  is  the  exqui- 
site little  domed  home  of  the  oven-bird.  It  is  not 


26     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

easy  to  obtain  a  really  satisfactory  photograph  of  this 
nest.  If  we  expose  for  the  interior,  the  exterior  suf- 
fers, and  vice  versa.  To  hit  upon  the  happy  medium 
requires  both  care  and  experience.  After  trying  vari- 
ous methods,  I  have  found  the  most  satisfactory  thing 
to  do  is  to  throw  a  ray  of  sunlight  into  the  nest  by 
means  of  a  mirror.  This  light  should  be  allowed 
to  enter  the  nest  only  during  a  small  part  of  the 
time  necessary  for  the  exposure.  For  example,  sup- 
posing your  lens  to  be  cut  down  to  a  very  small 
aperture,  when  the  correct  exposure  would  be  perhaps 
forty  seconds ;  then  while  the  lens  is  open  and  the 
exposure  taking  place,  allow  the  sunlight,  reflected 
from  the  mirror,  to  illuminate  the  interior  of  the  nest 
from  two  to  six  seconds.  Too  much  local  illumina- 
tion destroys  the  effect  of  the  depth  of  the  nest  and 
is  therefore  to  be  avoided.  While  using  the  mirror, 
keep  it  in  constant  motion,  so  that  the  light  will  be 
diffused. 

When  photographing  ground  nests  in  open,  wind- 
swept fields,  it  will  sometimes  be  found  necessary  to 
place  a  cloth  screen  around  the  nest  (far  enough 
away  not  to  interfere  with  the  picture)  to  protect  it 
from  the  wind.  Otherwise  only  a  very  short  expo- 
sure can  be  given. 

NESTS  IN  BUSHES  AND  TREES. — Here  we  come  to 
the  most  satisfactory  nests  from  a  photographic  stand- 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS  AND   EGGS     27 

point.  The  great  variety  of  the  nests  themselves 
and  the  endless  variety  of  the  surroundings  offer  far 
greater  possibilities  than  are  to  be  found  with  the 
ground  nests.  All  that  has  been  said  in  regard  to 
sunlight  holds  good  with  these  nests,  a  soft,  diffused 
light  being  in  most  cases  the  most  effective.  When 
direct  sunlight  is  used  it  is  a  good  plan  to  throw  up 
a  reflected  white  light  that  will  soften  the  under 
shadows.  This  may  easily  be  done  by  taking  a  yard 
or  two  of  white  muslin  and  fastening  a  stick  at  each 
end.  The  sticks  should  be  pointed  at  one  end,  so  that 
they  may  be  put  into  the  ground,  and  the  cloth, 
tightly  stretched,  will  be  held  at  such  an  angle  that 
the  light  will  reflect  from  it  upon  the  nest.  A  white 
cloth  placed  on  the  ground  beneath  the  nest  will 
reflect  more  or  less  light,  and  will  in  some  cases  be 
found  to  answer  the  purpose.  A  difficulty  that  will 
be  the  cause  of  frequent  failures  unless  precautions 
are  taken  is  the  moving  of  the  nest.  This  may 
sound  strange,  but  it  is  nevertheless  a  fact  that  the 
nest  does  move,  or  rather  its  support  moves.  Take, 
for  example,  a  nest  built  among  the  small  twigs  at 
the  outer  end  of  a  branch.  With  the  slightest  breeze 
the  branch  sways  slowly  but  surely,  and  the  nest, 
which  may  have  been  in  perfect  focus  when  you 
looked  on  the  ground  glass,  has  moved  several  inches 
one  way  or  the  other,  and  consequently  is  out  of 
focus.  The  most  obvious  way  to  prevent  this  is  to 


28  NATURE   AND   THE  CAMERA 

fasten  the  branch  by  means  of  strong  twine  to  some 
stationary  object,  such  as  a  peg  driven  in  the  ground, 
one  of  these  being  used  on  each  side.  It  is  need- 
less to  add  that  these  guys  should  not  be  included 
in  the  picture. 

When  fastening  back  branches  that  would  other- 
wise obstruct  the  view  of  the  nest,  be  careful  not 
to  alter  the  natural  growing  position  of  a  plant 
or  branch.  For  instance,  a  branch  that  is  found 
growing  horizontally  would  look  somewhat  peculiar 
if  it  were  portrayed  in  a  vertical  position.  It  is  safer 
to  avoid,  so  far  as  possible,  disturbing  the  surround- 
ings of  a  nest ;  for  unless  the  changes  are  made  with 
due  care  and  knowledge  of  how  things  should  be, 
the  picture  looks  artificial  and  loses  its  value  as  a  por- 
trait of  a  nest  in  situ.  It  is  permissible  to  introduce 
flowers  into  the  picture  if  they  serve  to  give  a  better 
idea  of  the  nature  of  the  surroundings.  If  properly 
arranged,  these  flowers  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of 
the  composition,  but  all  depends  on  their  proper 
arrangement.  A  nest  may  be  situated  within  a  few 
feet  of  a  bush  of  blossoming  huckleberries,  and  if 
there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  have  been  placed 
nearer,  the  bush  may  be  transplanted  so  that  part  of 
it  will  show  in  the  picture. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  blackberry-vines,  among 
which  birds  so  often  build.  A  sprig  on  which 
there  are  several  flowers,  if  placed  above  or  beneath 


LONG-BILLED    MARSH    WREN'S    NEST. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     29 

the  nest,  adds  not  only  beauty  to  the  photograph, 
but  at  the  same  time  shows  that  the  bird  nests  dur- 
ing the  season  when  that  particular  flower  is  in  bloom. 
In  adding  flowers  to  the  surroundings,  the  great  dif- 
ficulty is  that  they  wilt  so  quickly  after  being  cut ; 
so  it  is  advisable  not  to  place  them  in  position  until 
everything  is  ready  for  the  exposure,  and  even  then 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  wrap  a  wet  cloth  round  the  ends 
of  the  stems.  So  much  may  be  done  in  the  way  of 
giving  accentuation  to  the  local  colour:  a  plant  of 
false  hellebore  introduced  will  show  that  the  nest  is 
near  a  stream  or  in  swampy  ground,  while  wild 
geranium  will  show  that  the  nest  is  in  a  fairly 
dry  situation.  The  presence  of  a  dragon-fly  near  a 
red-winged  blackbird's  nest  will  add  to  the  beauty 
and  interest  of  the  picture,  for,  as  a  rule,  the  nests 
are  found  in  swampy  places,  where  dragon-flies  are 
abundant.  It  is  not  always  easy  to  induce  these 
insects  to  perch  just  where  one  wishes  to  have  them, 
but  it  is  worth  while  waiting  some  time  in  the  hope 
that  one  will  come.  I  remember  waiting  five  hours 
before  one  perched  just  where  I  wanted  it. 

If  the  nest  to  be  photographed  is  in  a  very  low 
bush  within  perhaps  twelve  inches  of  the  ground, 
the  fact  may  be  made  apparent  by  placing  a  flower, 
such  as  a  daisy,  beneath  the  bush.  The  position  of 
the  flower  will  show  the  approximate  height  of  the 
nest.  These  details,  though  not  by  any  means  neces- 


30     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

sary,  are  useful,  for  besides  showing,  as  already  stated, 
the  local  colour  and  the  time  of  nesting  as  made  known 
by  the  presence  of  the  flower,  if  coloured  lantern- 
slides  are  to  be  made  the  addition  of  the  spot  of 
bright  colour,  however  small  it  may  be,  enhances 
the  beauty  of  the  projected  picture  more  than  is 
generally  realised. 

For  contact  prints  or  even  for  enlargements  the 
image  of  the  nest  should  be  fairly  large,  that  is  to 
say,  it  should  occupy  nearly  a  third  of  the  plate  ;  but 
if  for  lantern-slide  use,  it  is  advisable  to  show  more 
of  the  surroundings.  So  for  this  reason,  when  pho- 
tographing a  nest,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  make  at  least 
two  negatives,  one  showing  the  nest  large  and  one 
small.  Should  the  nest  be  a  rare  one  or  a  kind  dif- 
ficult to  find,  make  several  negatives,  giving  each 
one  a  different  exposure.  By  this  method  the  chance 
of  failure  is  reduced  to  a  minimum.  Nothing  is  so 
unsatisfactory  as  to  find,  after  taking  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  in  making  the  pictures,  that  one  has  failed 
through  over-  or  under-exposure,  and  this  is  likely 
to  happen  to  any  one,  experienced  or  inexperienced- 
No  one,  however  many  photographs  he  may  have 
made,  can  say  that  he  is  sure  of  his  exposure  under 
the  ever-varying  conditions  that  are  to  be  met  in 
the  photographing  of  natural-history  subjects.  The 
question  of  exposure  has  been  treated  in  Part  II  of 
Chapter  I,  but  all  that  can  ever  be  written  on  the 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     31 

subject  will  not  show  one  the  actual  actinic  power 
of  the  light  at  the  time  of  making  the  exposure. 
Neither  will  it  show  how  fast  is  the  plate  we  are 
using,  for  plates,  especially  the  isochromatic,  vary 
greatly  in  their  rapidity. 

To  go  back  to  our  subject.  Any  nest  placed  in  a 
bush  within  four  or  four  and  a  half  feet  of  the  ground 
is  usually  an  easy  subject,  but  when  the  distance  is 
greater  the  difficulties  increase.  Extension  legs  to 
the  tripod  will  be  of  great  help  if  the  nest  is  not 
more  than  six  or  seven  feet  from  the  ground.  When 
higher  than  that  it  is  usually  necessary  to  attach  the 
camera  to  a  branch.  This  is  done  either  by  means 
of  a  ball-and-socket  arrangement,  such  as  is  used  for 
attaching  the  camera  to  a  bicycle,  or  by  fastening  the 
tripod  to  the  branches  ;  the  latter,  however,  is  an  awk- 
ward and  troublesome  thing  to  do.  In  case  there  is  no 
branch  in  a  suitable  position,  the  difficulty  can  be 
overcome  by  lashing  a  stout  stick,  which  should  be 
forked  at  one  end,  across  from  branch  to  branch,  and 
attaching  the  ball  and  socket  to  this.  Or  if  this  is 
not  possible,  set  an  upright  forked  stick  into  the 
ground  so  that  the  crotch  is  at  the  desired  height. 
Then  the  horizontal  pole  may  be  attached  to  a  con- 
venient branch  at  one  end,  while  the  other  end  rests 
in  the  upright  crotch,  or,  if  more  convenient,  two  of 
these  forked  sticks  may  be  used.  In  this  way,  if  the 
camera  is  above  our  reach,  the  difficulty  of  arranging 


32      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

and  focussing  may  be  overcome  by  cutting  a  pair  of 
stilts  and  using  a  third  stick  as  a  brace.  This  is  not 
perhaps  as  easy  as  it  sounds,  but  if  the  nest  is  a  rare 
one  it  is  worth  the  effort. 

Occasionally  we  find  a  nest  placed  at  the  outer  end 
of  a  branch  that  is  just  out  of  reach  of  the  camera 
on  its  tripod.  If  the  branch  is  not  too  thick  it  can 
be  pulled  down  until  it  is  within  easy  photographing 
distance,  and  secured  by  means  of  a  cord.  In  doing 
this  do  not  change  the  angle  of  the  nest.  Forcing 
up  the  end  of  the  branch  by  means  of  a  forked  stick 
placed  at  the  thick  end  of  the  branch  will  correct 
this  defect.  Do  not  move  the  eggs  in  a  nest,  but 
leave  them  as  they  are  arranged  by  the  bird.  We 
often  see  pictures  of  nests  completely  spoiled  through 
this  misplacement  of  the  eggs.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that,  though  birds  turn  their  eggs  very  fre- 
quently, they  never  leave  the  small  end  pointing 
upward,  unless  the  bird,  having  been  flushed  sud- 
denly, accidentally  disturbs  the  eggs  on  leaving  the 
nest. 

Crows'  and  hawks'  nests,  and  others  that  are  placed 
at  a  considerable  height,  can,  as  a  rule,  be  photographed 
only  from  an  adjacent  tree.  It  is  not  easy  work, 
requiring,  as  it  does,  that  one  should  be  a  good 
climber  and  not  easily  made  dizzy.  Do  not  attempt 
to  carry  up  your  camera  and  other  material.  Attach 
a  good  strong  cord,  and  leave  them  on  the  ground  in 


NEST  OF  DOWNY  WOODPECKER. 
A  hole  was  cut  in  the  branch  in  order  to  show  the  position  of  the  eggs. 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND   EGGS     33 

such  a  position  that  they  can  be  hauled  up  without 
catching  in  the  branches. 

NESTS  IN  HOLES. — These  are  the  least  satisfactory 
nests  to  photograph.  If  we  wish  to  show  the  eggs 
that  are  laid  in  a  hole  in  a  tree,  we  can  do  so  only  by 
making  an  opening  in  the  branch  or  trunk,  and  this  is 
almost  sure  to  cause  the  bird  to  abandon  it.  There 
are  some  few  birds,  such  as  the  chickadees  and  occa- 
sionally the  crested  flycatchers,  that  will  not  desert 
their  homes  even  on  such  provocation,  but  they  are 
the  exception.  After  the  eggs  are  hatched  it  is  dif- 
ferent, but  at  present  we  are  dealing  only  with  nests 
containing  eggs.  One  way  is  to  wait  until  the  young 
have  left  the  nest  and  then  place  eggs  (from  a  collec- 
tion) in  the  nest,  but  even  this  cannot  be  done  satis- 
factorily except  in  the  case  of  woodpeckers  and 
other  birds  that  build  no  nest,  but  lay  their  eggs  on 
chips  or  bare  wood.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
the  nest  after  the  young  have  left  it  is  quite  different 
from  when  the  eggs  were  in  it.  Not  only  is  it 
changed  in  shape,  but  it  is  strewn  with  the  particles 
of  sheathing  cast  from  the  budding  feathers  of  the 
young  birds.  If  an  opening  has  to  be  made  in  a 
branch,  do  it  with  a  lock-saw,  by  cutting  out  a  clean 
square  piece  which  can  be  fitted  in  place  again.  This 
answers  perfectly  when  the  young  have  left  their 
eggs,  and  will  sometimes  answer  when  the  nest  con- 


34     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

tains  only  eggs.  It  is,  however,  not  safe  to  try  it 
unless  there  is  some  special  reason  why  the  eggs 
should  be  photographed. 

With  birds  that  will  build  in  bird-boxes  one  may 
obtain  photographs  of  the  eggs  without  much  risk. 
The  way  to  do  it  is  to  make  the  box  with  a  hinged 
lid  which  can  be  opened  when  the  photograph  is  to 
be  made.  The  box  itself  might  also  be  made  detach- 
able from  its  support. 

Nests  like  the  kingfishers',  that  are  placed  in  banks, 
cannot  be  photographed  except  by  cutting  away  the 
bank,  when  of  course  the  nest  is  destroyed.  So  it  is 
better  to  leave  such  nests  alone. 

Before  leaving  this  branch  of  photography  it  would 
be  well  to  draw  attention  once  more  to  the  fact  that 
most  birds  will  desert  their  nests  upon  very  slight 
provocation,  especially  if  the  nest  is  handled.  So  on 
no  account  disarrange  either  the  nest  or  the  sur- 
roundings more  than  is  absolutely  necessary. 

Do  not  make  this  work  an  excuse  for  destroying 
bird  life.  Let  it,  instead,  take  the  place  of  egg-collect- 
ing, when,  if  properly  and  conscientiously  done,  both 
the  birds  and  ourselves  will  reap  the  benefit. 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND  EGGS     35 

PART  II 
PHOTOGRAPHING    NESTS    CONTAINING    YOUNG    BIRDS 

Outfit  required. —  The  same  as  for  Part  I,  with  the  exception  of  the  lens, 
which  should  be  very  rapid  and  have  great  depth  of  focus. 

MORE  interesting  but  far  less  satisfactory  is  this 
branch  of  bird  photography.  Occasionally  we  hap- 
pen to  obtain  really  good  results,  but  take  it  all  in 
all  the  pictures  of  the  young  birds  in  their  nests, 
especially  the  smaller  ones,  are  very  disappointing. 
The  reasons  are  obvious,  but  difficult  to  overcome. 
To  begin  with,  very  young  birds  are  in  constant 
motion,  and  this  motion  is  fairly  rapid;  when  at  rest 
it  is  due  only  to  the  respiration,  but  when  their  heads 
are  raised  they  tremble  violently,  owing  no  doubt 
to  the  weakness  of  their  muscles.  Therefore  all 
photographs  should  be  made  with  a  very  short  ex- 
posure, if  sharpness  of  outline  is  desired.  Of  course 
this  means  that  the  lens  must  be  used  wide  open  or 
nearly  so,  with  the  resulting  lack  of  depth  of  focus. 
When  the  young  birds  are  asleep  or  are  resting  they 
hudd.e  together  so  closely  that  one  cannot  be  distin- 
guished from  the  other,  and  the  photograph  simply 
shows  a  mass  that  might  be  almost  anything.  This 
applies  more  particularly  to  small  birds  up  to  the  size 
of  the  robin.  With  the  larger  birds  this  difficulty  is 
far  less  noticeable. 


36     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

In  photographing  small  birds'  nests  containing 
very  young  birds,  arrange  the  camera  so  that  the 
nest  shows  in  the  desired  position,  and  focus  on  the 
inside  of  the  near  rim.  When  all  is  ready  and  the 
shutter  set  to  about  one  fifth  or  one  twenty-fifth  of  a 
second,  make  a  noise  or  tap  the  branch  near  the  nest, 
and  instantly  all  the  youngsters  will  raise  their  heads 
and  open  their  mouths,  ready  for  food.  Usually  the 
slightest  vibration  near  the  nest  will  cause  them  to 
do  this.  While  the  heads  are  up  is  perhaps  the 
most  satisfactory  time  for  making  the  exposure,  as  it 
shows  the  birds  in  detail.  When  they  lower  their 
heads  and  before  they  settle  themselves  in  a  mass  is 
also  a  good  time,  particularly  so  if  they  rest  their 
heads  on  the  edge  of  the  nest.  Sunlight  is  almost 
essential  for  these  young-bird  photographs,  but  great 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  have  the  shadows  too 
dense.  Reflecting-cloths  should  be  used  as  far  as 
possible.  Extreme  high  lights  may  be  avoided  by 
placing  a  very  thin  screen  of  cheese-cloth  (wet  cheese- 
cloth is  more  transparent)  or  some  such  material 
over  the  nest,  but  not  too  close  to  it. 

It  will  be  noticed  in  instantaneous  photographs  of 
birds'  nests,  especially  if  they  are  in  surroundings  of 
foliage,  that  the  backgrounds  are  simply  black-and- 
white  blotches.  This  is  difficult  to  overcome.  Per- 
haps the  best  way  is  to  hang  a  light-gray  cloth  or 
even  white  cheese-cloth  at  a  distance  of  from  about 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND   EGGS     37 

four  to  eight  feet  from  the  nest.  The  cheese-cloth, 
being  more  or  less  transparent,  allows  the  background 
to  show  through  to  a  limited  extent,  this  modifying 
the  white  of  the  cloth.  If  properly  arranged  this 
background  gives  very  pleasing  results.  Should  the 
nest  be  in  a  shaded  place  it  will  be  found  necessary 
to  bend  back  the  branches  (on  no  account  should 
they  be  cut)  in  order  to  allow  the  sunlight  to 
strike  the  nest,  but  do  not  on  any  account  de- 
stroy these  shading  leaves,  as  the  young  birds  can- 
not endure  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun;  you  may 
notice  that  in  almost  every  case  the  nest  is  situated  so 
that  it  is  protected  from  the  sun  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  day.  In  photographing  the  young  in 
their  nest  do  not  let  the  sun  shine  on  them  until 
you  have  everything  in  readiness  for  making  the 
exposure.  When  there  is  not  sufficient  light,  the 
sun's  rays  reflected  from  a  mirror  will  be  of  great 
assistance,  though  the  birds  will  be  illuminated  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  surroundings.  The  mirror  will  also 
prove  most  useful  in  photographing  young  oven-birds 
and  others  whose  nests  are  screened  from  the  sunlight 
by  overhanging  roots  or  branches.  Backgrounds  in 
shadow  are  not  desirable,  as,  with  the  shortness  of 
exposure,  they  show  almost  black  in  the  photograph. 
Cutting  down  the  branch  in  which  a  nest  is  built  is 
not  to  be  commended.  It  is  sometimes  done  in 
order  that  the  nest  may  be  placed  amid  properly 


38  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

lighted  surroundings.  But  this  is  done  at  the  risk 
of  the  lives  of  the  young  birds;  not  that  the  parents 
will  often  desert  a  nest  once  the  young  are  hatched, 
but  if  the  branch  is  cut,  the  leaves  die,  and  hanging 
dead  and  shrivelled,  they  are  conspicuous,  with  the 
result  that  attention  is  drawn  to  the  nest  and  its 
contents. 

Then  again,  when  the  surrounding  leaves  are  dead, 
unless  very  carefully  replaced,  the  nest  is  exposed  to 
both  sun  and  rain,  and,  as  a  result  of  the  more  or  less 
constant  sunlight,  the  young  are  made  restless  and 
desert  their  nest  much  sooner  than  they  otherwise 
would.  In  fact,  I  believe  that  young  birds  seldom  stay 
as  long  in  a  nest  that  has  been  discovered  and  handled 
by  human  beings  as  they  do  in  one  that  has  remained 
undiscovered.  This  may  be  a  wrong  idea,  but  I 
have  seen  much  evidence  that  goes  to  prove  it.  It 
is  an  indisputable  fact  that  the  longer  a  young  bird 
remains  in  its  nest  (I  speak  only  of  those  whose 
habit  it  is  to  remain  in  their  home  until  they  are 
about  ready  to  fly),  that  is  to  say,  the  more  developed 
it  is,  the  better  is  it  fitted  to  withstand  rain  and  to 
elude  its  only  too  numerous  enemies.  Probably  only 
a  small  percentage  of  the  birds  that  leave  their  nest 
ever  reach  maturity,  so  it  is  highly  advisable  to  do 
all  in  our  power  to  lessen  their  dangers  rather  than 
increase  them  by  changing  their  surroundings  and 
forcing  them  out  into  the  world  of  enemies  before 


. 


•'.2«KR*:   *i.at   jri 


YOUNG  CROWS  IN   NEST 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS  AND   EGGS    39 

they  are  ready.  Once  a  young  bird  has  left  or  been 
removed  from  its  nest,  unless  it  is  very  young,  it 
will  seldom  consent  to  remain  in  it  again.  This 
applies  in  particular  to  birds  that  nest  on  the  ground, 
less  so  to  those  that  build  in  bushes,  and  least  of  all 
to  those  which,  like  the  woodpeckers  and  chicka- 
dees, build  in  holes  in  trees.  The  latter  seem  only 
too  glad  to  be  put  back  in  their  nest. 

There  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  length  of  time 
that  young  birds  remain  in  their  nests.  Taking  for 
example  the  smaller  varieties,  we  find  that,  as  a  rule, 
those  whose  nests  are  on  the  ground  not  only  leave 
at  a  very  early  age,  but  before  they  are  able  to  use 
their  wings.  Young  field-sparrows,  blue-winged 
warblers,  and  oven-birds  may  be  found  creeping 
mouse-like  among  the  grass  and  leaves  in  a  very 
undeveloped  state,  unable  to  fly  even  a  few  feet,  and 
scarcely  able  to  balance  themselves  on  a  twig. 

Birds  whose  nests  are  in  bushes  or  trees  remain  in 
their  nests  until  they  are  fairly  well  developed,  usually 
not  attempting  to  leave  until  their  wings  are  more  or 
less  completely  feathered,  so  that  they  are  able  to  fly  a 
few  yards.  But  the  birds  hatched  in  a  hollow  branch 
develop  rather  more  slowly  and  remain  in  the  nest  until 
they  are  almost  as  large  as  their  parents  and  are  fully 
feathered.  Certain  young  birds,  such  as  the  screech- 
owls,  use  the  nest  as  a  home,  leaving  it  at  night, 
when  they  venture  along  the  branches  to  receive 


40  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

their  feed  of  June-bugs  and  other  such  insects  which 
their  parents  bring  to  them,  and  returning  home  for 
the  day. 

The  larger  the  bird  the  more  satisfactory  will  be 
the  picture  of  the  young  in  their  nest,  for  the  reason 
that  not  only  are  they  more  clearly  defined,  but  the 
camera  must  of  necessity  be  placed  at  a  greater  dis- 
tance from  the  nest,  thereby  giving  a  greater  depth 
of  focus,  for  of  course  the  nearer  the  object,  the  less 
is  the  depth  of  focus  of  the  lens.  On  this  account  it 
is  better  not  to  make  the  image  larger  than  necessary, 
but  rather  to  rely  on  enlarging  the  plate. 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  when  fledgelings  are 
within  a  day  or  so  of  leaving  their  nest  any  impru- 
dent act  on  your  part  may  precipitate  their  departure. 
Therefore  avoid  shaking  the  nest  or  handling  the 
young.  Sometimes  if  even  their  heads  are  gently 
moved  they  will  all  scramble  out,  after  which  they 
can  seldom  be  induced  to  occupy  their  nest  again. 

PART  III 

PHOTOGRAPHING    THE    NEST    WITH    THE    SITTING    BIRD 

Outfit  same  as  Part  II,  with  addition  of  a  telephoto  lens  and  a  long  rubber 
tube  with  large  bulb  or  hand  bicycle-pump  for  releasing  shutter. 

Now  we  begin  to  realise  the  marked  individuality  of 
birds  and  to  learn  how  this  individuality  affects  our 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND   EGGS     41 

work.  If  the  bird  photographer  commenced  this 
branch  of  the  art  by  attempting  to  portray  a  yellow- 
breasted  chat  or  a  crow  on  her  nest,  he  might,  were 
he  not  of  a  very  persevering  nature,  give  up  for  ever 
any  hope  of  success.  And,  on  the  other  hand, 
should  he  choose  for  his  first  experiment  a  bird  such 
as  the  wood-thrush,  he  would  underestimate  the  dif- 
ficulties and  have  an  entirely  wrong  idea  of  bird-on- 
the-nest  photography.  The  actual  photographing  of 
the  sitting  bird  is  in  itself  a  most  easy  task  //"the  bird 
is  willing,  but  how  much  depends  on  that  if  will 
be  readily  appreciated  by  the  time  one  has  made  two 
or  three  attempts  to  secure  such  pictures.  The  first 
thing  to  do  in  order  to  insure  success  is  to  become 
friends  with  the  bird ;  let  her  become  accustomed  to 
your  presence,  then  gradually  introduce  the  camera, 
first  placing  it  at  some  distance  from  the  nest,  then 
gradually  bringing  it  nearer.  The  chances  of  success 
are  far  greater  during  the  first  few  days  after  the 
young  are  hatched  than  when  there  are  only  eggs; 
for,  as  you  well  know,  a  bird  will  often  abandon  her 
eggs  upon  very  small  provocation,  while  she  will  sel- 
dom leave  the  young  so  long  as  they  are  alive  and 
need  her  help.  When  the  young  are  very  small  they 
need  constant  feeding  and  watching,  and  should  the 
day  be  cold  or  damp  the  mother's  warmth  will  be  an 
absolute  necessity.  Relying  on  this,  I  would  recom- 
mend such  a  day  as  affording  the  best  opportunities 


42  NATURE  AND   THE   CAMERA 

for  the  work,  but  should  the  parent  bird  show  such 
fear  of  the  camera  that  she  will  remain  away  from 
her  young  more  than  a  safe  time,  remove  the  camera 
rather  than  risk  the  lives  of  the  fledgelings.  It  occa- 
sionally happens  that  when  the  nest  is  first  discovered 
and  the  bird  is  sitting  she  will  allow  herself  to  be 
photographed  without  displaying  fear,  or,  what  would 
perhaps  be  more  truthful,  she  remains  on  the  nest 
either  because  she  believes  herself  unseen  or  because 
she  is  afraid  to  move.  To  take  advantage  of  this,  great 
care  must  be  observed.  Not  only  must  no  sudden 
movement  or  noise  be  made,  but  the  camera  should  be 
assembled  at  some  distance  from  the  nest,  yet  within 
sight  of  it,  and  then  gradually  brought  nearer  and 
nearer.  The  first  exposure  might  be  made  while  at 
some  distance,  in  order  to  be  sure  of  at  least  one  pho- 
tograph. This  precaution  is  advisable  because  one  can 
never  tell  exactly  how  near  the  bird  will  allow  the 
camera  to  be  placed.  Having  secured  one  picture,  try 
another  at  a  few  feet  nearer,  and  so  on  until  either  you 
are  within  the  desired  distance  or  the  bird  has  flown. 
The  subject  of  exposure  is  one  that  requires  a  few 
words.  Almost  always  people  make  the  mistake  of 
under-exposing,  believing  that  because  the  bird  is  alive 
nothing  but  an  instantaneous  exposure  can  possibly 
secure  a  sharp  picture.  Such  an  idea  is  usually  a  mis- 
take. As  a  rule,  a  bird  on  her  nest  remains  absolutely 
still  for  seconds  at  a  time,  thereby  allowing  of  a  time 


WOOD-THRUSH     ON    ITS    NEST. 
Exposure   about   four   seconds   with    single   combination   of    Goerz    lens. 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND  EGGS     43 

exposure.  I  have  given  as  much  as  sixty  seconds,  but 
of  course  this  was  an  exceptional  case,  and  indeed  such 
an  exposure  is  very  seldom  needed.  Should  the  bird 
be  restless,  moving  her  head  all  the  time  (they  usually 
follow  your  every  motion  with  their  eyes),  you  may 
attract  her  attention  as  you  are  about  to  make  the 
exposure  by  holding  something  conspicuous,  such  as 
a  handkerchief,  in  one  position,  and  nine  times  out  of 
ten  she  will  watch  it  intently  for  several  seconds,  thus 
affording  the  desired  opportunity. 

As  birds  vary  so  greatly  in  their  manner  of  mani- 
festing fear  or  distrust  of  man,  each  one  may  be  said 
to  be  a  separate  study  and  calls  for  a  special  method 
of  treatment.  Some  will  allow  a  person  to  come 
to  within  two  or  three  feet  of  the  nest  without  leaving, 
and  yet  will  not  remain  if  the  camera  is  anywhere 
near  them.  Others  show  no  fear  of  the  camera,  but 
distrust  the  man;  while  others  again,  and  these  are 
the  kind  we  want,  allow  both  man  and  camera  to 
come  within  a  very  short  distance.  Sometimes  it  is 
necessary  to  place  the  camera  in  readiness  while  the 
bird  is  absent  and  wait  at  a  distance  for  her  return, 
and  even  then  the  exposure  may  have  to  be  made 
with  the  aid  of  a  long  rubber  tube.  An  extreme 
case  of  this  kind  I  experienced  when  once  I  tried  to 
photograph  a  Wilson's  thrush  on  her  nest.  After 
trying  various  methods  without  success  I  placed  the 
camera  about  ten  feet  from  the  nest  and  partly  con- 


44     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

cealed  it  with  branches.  Then  I  attached  fifty  feet 
of  rubber  tubing  to  the  shutter  and  retreated  to  that 
distance  from  the  nest.  After  waiting  for  about  half 
an  hour  I  crawled  very  quietly  toward  the  nest,  but 
before  coming  within  sight  of  it,  I  heard  the  bird 
leave.  Once  more  I  retreated,  and  after  waiting 
another  half-hour  decided  to  press  the  bulb,  making 
the  exposure  on  the  chance  of  the  bird  being  on  the 
nest.  Whether  she  was  I  do  not  know,  but  I  made 
several  chance  exposures  during  the  day,  and  when 
I  developed  the  plates  there  were  many  good  pic- 
tures of  the  nest,  but  only  one  showed  the  sitting 
bird. 

For  photographs  of  birds  on  their  nests,  the  lens 
used  should  have  great  length  of  focus,  not  much  less 
than  twelve  inches.  The  single  combination  of 
almost  any  of  the  newer  makes  of  convertible  lenses 
gives  excellent  results.  The  object  in  using  a  long- 
focus  lens  is  not  only  that  a  large  image  may  be 
obtained  while  the  camera  is  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance from  the  bird,  but  because  the  noise  made  by 
releasing  the  shutter  frequently  causes  the  bird  to 
start,  and  of  course  the  farther  away  the  camera  is 
the  less  will  be  the  chance  of  her  hearing  the 
noise.  The  photographing  of  the  sitting  bird  offers 
the  very  best  opportunity  for  the  use  of  the  telephoto 
lens,  but  still  it  is  better  to  use  a  good  long-focus  lens 
where  the  bird  is  fairly  tame,  resorting  to  the  tele- 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND   EGGS     45 

photo  only  when  it  is  not  possible  to  get  as  near  as 
would  be  otherwise  necessary. 

Some  birds,  such  as  the  yellow-breasted  chats,  I 
have  never  been  able  to  photograph  sitting  on  or 
near  their  nests,  though  I  have  wasted  many  hours  in 
the  attempt.  With  red-winged  blackbirds  I  have 
had  the  same  experience,  and  though  this  does  not 
prove  that  they  cannot  be  photographed,  it  shows 
that  they  are  on  the  average  far  less  tame  than  the 
wood-thrush,  the  blue-winged  warbler,  and  some 
others  with  which  I  have  had  nothing  but  good  luck. 
The  main  thing,  therefore,  if  you  wish  to  be  always 
successful  in  photographing  birds  on  their  nests,  is  to 
find  birds  that  are  tame.  Having  found  them,  use  a 
long-focus  lens,  give  sufficient  exposure,  and  you  will 
be  sure  of  success. 

PART  IV 

PHOTOGRAPHING    NESTS  WITH    OLD    BIRDS    AND    THEIR  YOUNG 
Outfit  same  as  Part  III. 

FROM  photographing  the  parent  bird  sitting  peace- 
fully on  her  nest  to  the  task  of  portraying  the  same 
bird  standing  nervously  on  the  edge  of  the  nest  or  on 
a  near-by  twig,  while  the  young  hold  up  their  unsteady 
heads  in  anticipation  of  a  meal,  is  but  a  step  on  the 
photographic  ladder  ;  it  is  a  difficult  step,  however, 
for  the  obstacles  are  many  and  not  over-easily  mas- 


46     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

tered.  Apart  from  what  we  might  term  the  natural 
difficulties,  such  as  the  stalking  of  the  bird  and  get- 
ting the  camera  within  suitable  range,  there  is  the 
question  of  light,  for  usually  instantaneous  exposures 
are  necessary.  Now  we  all  know  that  most  birds 
build  their  nests  in  shaded  places,  places  chosen  with- 
out the  slightest  regard  to  the  needs  of  the  bird  pho- 
tographer, and  in  these  shaded  places  an  instantane- 
ous photograph  is  practically  an  impossibility.  Then 
there  is  another  difficulty,  one  even  more  serious  : 
In  close-range  work  the  depth  of  focus  of  an  open 
lens  is  very  slight.  Objects  to  be  in  sharp  focus  at  a 
distance  of  a  few  feet  must  be  nearly  on  one  plane ; 
three  or  four  inches  one  way  or  another  will  make 
a  very  great  difference  in  the  definition.  Now  sup- 
pose you  focus  the  lens  on  the  near  edge  of  the  nest, 
so  as  to  secure  a  sharp  picture  of  the  young  birds 
when  they  raise  their  heads  ;  then  the  mother  bird 
comes  and  perches  either  on  the  farther  edge  of  the 
nest  or  on  a  twig  several  inches  beyond.  Under 
such  conditions  you  may  not  stop  down  your  lens  in 
order  to  increase  its  depth  of  focus,  owing  to  the 
lack  of  light,  so  you  have  to  sacrifice  the  sharpness 
of  either  the  old  bird  or  the  young.  The  method 
adopted  by  some  bird  photographers  is  to  insure  the 
correct  lighting  by  removing  the  nest  from  its  natural 
position  and  placing  it  where  conditions  are  favour- 
able for  photographing.  This  method  is  not  to  be 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     47 

recommended,  as,  unless  done  by  an  extremely  con- 
scientious person,  one  willing  to  guard  the  nest  and 
its  contents  against  risk  even  at  great  personal  incon- 
venience, the  resulting  loss  of  bird  life  would  be  very 
great  and  quite  uselessly  so.  Birds  place  their  nests 
where  the  surrounding  vegetation  will  shade  the 
young  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  and  should 
these  shading  leaves  be  removed,  or  should  the  nest 
be  taken  away  from  them,  the  young  birds,  in  their 
anxiety  to  avoid  the  sun,  will  frequently  scramble  out 
of  their  nest  long  before  they  are  fledged,  and  death 
is  an  almost  certain  sequel.  Even  by  disturbing  the 
surroundings  of  a  nest  there  is  danger  to  the  young 
birds,  as  the  nest  is  no  longer  so  well  concealed  and 
is  therefore  more  or  less  exposed  to  the  many  natural 
enemies  that  during  the  nesting  season  are  ever  on 
the  hunt  for  young  birds  and  eggs. 

To  any  one  who  has  not  had  experience  with 
birds,  it  would  seem  an  easy  matter  to  coax  the  pa- 
rent bird  to  the  nest  when  the  young  are  there  to  act 
as  a  lure.  The  camera,  one  imagines,  would  be 
utterly  disregarded.  But  such  does  not  happen  to  be 
the  case,  that  is  to  say,  it  is  not  the  rule.  Certain 
birds,  such  as  the  yellow-breasted  chat  or  the  crow, 
cannot,  according  to  my  own  experience,  be  enticed 
to  the  nest,  and  I  fully  believe  that  the  crow  would 
allow  its  young  to  die  of  starvation  rather  than  visit  the 
nest  while  the  camera  is  anywhere  near.  Many  birds, 


48     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

such  as  the  blue-winged  warbler,  the  wood-thrush, 
the  chickadee,  and  others,  display  very  little  fear 
of  either  the  camera  or  the  man  when  their  young 
need  attention,  so  for  this  reason  they  are  the  most 
suitable  subjects  to  practise  on.  If  the  birds  happen 
to  be  tame  enough,  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  use  a 
white  reflecting-cloth,  throwing  the  light  upward 
from  it  in  order  that  the  otherwise  dark  shadows 
shall  be  softened.  A  background  cloth  may  also  be 
used  with  advantage,  provided  it  does  not  frighten 
the  bird.  This  cloth  should  be  white  or  gray,  and 
of  sufficient  size  to  allow  of  its  being  placed  not  less 
than  six  or  eight  feet  back  of  the  nest,  the  farther 
the  better,  as  the  distance  gives  a  soft  effect  in  the 
photographs,  making  the  bird  and  nest  stand  out  fairly 
well  defined  against  the  indistinct  grayish  background. 
Any  shadows  thrown  on  the  cloth  are  rather  an 
advantage  than  otherwise,  unless  the  cloth  is  near  the 
nest,  in  which  case  they  appear  too  well  defined.  In 
cases  where  the  birds  are  very  shy  it  is  necessary  to 
resort  to  some  method  of  concealment  for  the  camera 
and  one's  self.  Perhaps  the  best  device  is  an  artificial 
tree-trunk,  made  of  very  light  material  such  as  mus- 
lin or  even  cheese-cloth.  This  is  stretched  over  large 
hoops,  which  may  be  made  of  cane  or  strong  wire, 
the  former  by  preference,  as  it  is  more  easily  attached. 
Three  uprights  should  be  made  of  strong,  stiff  cane 
jointed  in  the  middle  with  ferrules  such  as  those  used 


WORM-EATING  WARBLER  AND  YOUNG. 

Illustrating  the  tameness  of  a  comparatively  rare  bird. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     49 

for  fishing-rods.  The  whole  structure  ought  to  be 
not  less  than  six  feet  six  inches  in  height  and  large 
enough  to  allow  of  the  camera  being  worked  conve- 
niently. The  doth  should  be  painted  to  imitate  a 
tree-trunk,  and  to  carry  out  the  illusion  strips  of  bark 
might  be  attached  by  means  of  small  wire  hooks. 
Creeping  plants,  such  as  vines  of  different  kinds,  will 
add  greatly  to  the  realistic  effect.  Be  sure  to  have 
ample  openings  for  air  at  the  base  and  let  the  top  be 
open,  otherwise  the  heat  will  be  unbearable.  A  branch 
thrown  over  the  top  opening  will  be  sufficient  to  con- 
ceal you  from  the  bird's  view.  Several  openings  at 
different  heights  will  have  to  be  made  through  which 
the  lens  may  protrude.  When  possible,  it  is  as  well  to 
place  this  tree-trunk  in  position  overnight  or  at  least 
several  hours  before  entering  it,  thereby  avoiding  the 
otherwise  long  wait,  which  will  be  found  extremely 
trying,  especially  during  hot  weather,  for  the  heat  of 
these  tree-trunks  is  their  greatest  objection.  The  use 
of  any  method  of  concealment  aids  one  in  securing 
photographs  of  birds,  but  at  the  same  time  it  takes 
away  a  great  deal  of  the  excitement  that  is  to  be 
found  in  trying  to  make  friends  with  the  bird.  Therein 
lies  the  principal  part  of  the  pleasure  of  this  branch  of 
photography:  it  takes  one  close  to  the  bird  during 
the  most  interesting  period  of  its  life,  and  one  has  the 
opportunity  of  studying  the  bird's  habits  to  greater 
advantage  than  at  any  other  time.  The  actual  diffi- 


50  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

culties  to  be  met  with  in  photographing  the  parent 
birds  with  their  young  in  the  nests  are  not  quite  so 
great  as  when  the  young  have  left  their  nest.  To 
this  branch  of  the  work  we  will  devote  the  following 
pages. 

PART  V 

PHOTOGRAPHING    OLD    BIRDS    AND    THEIR    YOUNG    AFTER 
THEY    LEAVE    THE    NEST 

Outfit  same  as  Part  III. 

PHOTOGRAPHING  bird  families  after  they  have  once 
left  their  nests  we  count  the  most  delightful  part  of 
bird  photography,  the  one  which  has  theu  greatest 
possibilities  and  perhaps  the  greatest  amount  of  diffi- 
culties to  be  overcome ;  that  is  to  say,  if  we  do  it 
openly,  without  making  use  of  any  method  of  con- 
cealment. By  doing  it  openly  we  come  in  personal 
contact  with  the  birds,  and  we  learn  that  they  are  not 
so  wild  as  generally  supposed.  If  they  see  that  no 
harm  befalls  their  young  through  our  presence,  they 
will  frequently  lose  all  fear  and  perch  on  our  hands 
and  shoulders.  This  is,  of  course,  true  only  of  certain 
birds.  Of  those  that  I  have  tried  to  induce  to  come 
to  me,  I  have  had  the  greatest  success  with  blue- 
winged  warblers,  worm-eating  warblers,  chickadees, 
and  chipping  sparrows.  In  every  instance  they  have 
shown  an  utter  fearlessness  and  have  come  to  me  even 


BLUE-WINGED  WARBLER  AND    HER   YOUNG. 


CHIPPING    SPARROW   FEEDING    ITS    YOUNG. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     51 

though  I  happened  to  be  moving.  With  some  other 
birds  I  have  had  more  or  less  success,  and  with  others, 
such  as  the  chewinks,  red-winged  blackbirds,  and  yel- 
low-breasted chats,  I  have  so  far  had  nothing  but  failure. 
In  order  to  secure  young  birds  at  the  time  they 
are  ready  to  leave  their  nest,  it  is  necessary  to  watch 
them  carefully,  remembering  that  the  young  of  dif- 
ferent birds  leave  the  nest  at  very  different  stages 
of  development.  For  example,  young  grouse,  quail, 
and  woodcock  leave  almost  immediately  after  coming 
from  the  eggs,  just  as  a  chicken  does.  Ground-birds, 
such  as  field-sparrows,  bobolinks,  etc.,  usually  leave 
before  they  can  fly  at  all,  some  starting  off  when  but 
eight  days  old.  Birds  whose  nests  are  at  some  distance 
from  the  ground  seldom  leave  until  their  wings 
are  fairly  well  developed;  for  the  smaller  birds  the 
age  is  about  twelve  days.  Chickadees  and  wood- 
peckers and  others  whose  nests  are  in  holes  in  trees 
are  well  developed  at  the  time  of  leaving.  So  it 
will  be  seen  that  in  order  to  know  when  to  expect 
the  young  to  leave  you  must  know  something  of  the 
bird  and  its  habits.  It  is  also  well  to  remember 
what  has  already  been  said,  that  if  you  attempt  to 
remove  a  young  bird  from  its  nest  when  it  is  within 
a  day  or  two  of  being  ready  to  leave,  it  will  often 
refuse  to  go  back  even  though  it  is  not  sufficiently 
developed  to  risk  itself  away  from  its  home.  It  is 
very  doubtful  whether  such  birds  often  survive. 


52  NATURE  AND   THE   CAMERA 

Occasionally  one  comes  across  young  birds  that  are 
only  just  able  to  fly,  hiding  in  the  scrub.  These,  if 
not  too  far  advanced,  are  splendid  subjects  for  the 
camera,  but  they  are  not  very  easy  to  find.  In  fact, 
it  is  seldom  that  more  than  two  of  the  brood  can  be 
found.  So  it  is  best  to  rely  on  watching  a  nest, 
spending  some  time  near  it  in  order  that  the  old 
birds  may  become  used  to  your  presence. 

When  the  young  are  about  ready  to  leave,  make 
all  your  arrangements  before  disturbing  them.  Se- 
lect the  support  you  wish ;  a  growing  branch  on 
which  there  are  not  too  many  leaves  is  best,  and  to 
confine  the  range  of  both  old  and  young  birds  it  is 
well  to  isolate  the  branch  by  cutting  away  the  im- 
mediate surroundings,  otherwise  the  young  will  hop 
about  from  twig  to  twig  and  so  get  outside  the  field 
of  your  camera.  Be  sure  when  focussing  on  the 
support  to  leave  sufficient  space  for  the  old  bird  on 
either  side  of  the  young.  If  the  branch  is  inclined 
to  sway  with  the  breeze,  secure  it  firmly,  or  it  will 
swing  backward  or  forward  and  be  out  of  focus.  Do 
not  forget  that  the  weight  of  the  birds  will  cause  the 
branch  to  sag  downward,  so  allow  for  this  when 
placing  the  camera.  On  the  choice  of  the  back- 
ground much  depends.  A  light  background  is  far 
the  best,  as  a  dark  one,  being  of  course  out  of  focus, 
comes  out  much  darker  than  you  might  expect.  A 
cloth  background,  as  suggested  in  Part  IV,  can  be 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     53 

used  to  advantage,  provided  it  does  not  frighten 
the  bird,  and  my  own  experience  leads  me  to  think 
that  the  birds  pay  but  little  attention  to  it.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  white  reflecting-cloth 
placed  beneath  the  birds.  It  is  scarcely  advisable  to 
use  much  in  the  way  of  accessories,  as,  owing  to  the 
shortness  of  exposure,  the  lens  must  be  used  open  or 
nearly  so,  and  the  leaves  or  flowers  which  extend  a 
few  inches  forward  or  back  of  the  birds  would  be 
completely  out  of  focus  and  would  simply  be  black 
and  white  blurs  which  would  add  nothing  to  the 
beauty  of  the  picture;  rather  would  they  detract  from 
it.  In  taking  the  fledgelings  from  the  nest  be  care- 
ful not  to  let  them  escape,  for  their  powers  of  hiding 
are  wonderful.  Let  them  once  scramble  into  the 
scrub  and  it  may  take  you  hours  to  find  them  again. 
The  most  certain  way  is  to  put  them  into  a  bag 
(which  should  have  breathing-holes  cut  in  it),  then 
one  by  one  they  can  be  taken  out  and  placed  on  the 
branch.  This  sounds  easy,  and  occasionally  it  is  so, 
but  as  a  rule  the  young  rascals  will  not  do  anything 
you  wish;  sometimes,  even  though  they  are  strong 
enough,  they  will  not  stand  on  the  twig;  they  will 
fall  backward  or  forward,  as  though  their  legs  were 
paralysed,  or  they  will  clutch  hold  of  their  neck 
or  wings  and  absolutely  refuse  to  make  proper 
use  of  their  feet.  It  is  a  good  test  of  patience,  but 
you  will  soon  realise  that  only  by  keeping  good- 


54     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

tempered  and  cool  can  anything  be  accomplished. 
Just  keep  on  putting  each  birdling  in  place,  no  mat- 
ter how  often  they  fall  off,  and  after  a  while,  and  it 
may  take  a  long  time,  they  will  lose  their  obstinacy 
and  behave  themselves  as  young  birds  should. 

If  you  find  that  they  insist  on  flying  away,  even 
though  they  can  go  but  four  or  five  feet,  tire  them 
out  by  forcing  them  to  take  a  number  of  such  flights 
in  quick  succession.  They  will  soon  be  only  too 
glad  to  sit  quietly.  Do  not  on  any  account  attempt 
to  feed  very  young  birds  with  worms  or  other  insects 
or  fruits.  Leave  that  to  the  parents;  they  know  far 
better  than  you  what  suits  a  fledgeling's  stomach. 
If  the  day  is  very  hot  it  is  better  not  to  subject  the 
youngsters  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  for  longer 
than  is  necessary,  as  they  cannot  stand  too  much  heat. 

Now  we  will  consider  that  all  the  young  ones  are 
sitting  quietly  on  the  branch  and  you  have  your 
camera  in  readiness.  The  next  step  is  to  induce  the 
mother  bird  to  come.  For  your  success  in  doing 
this,  patience  is  very  necessary,  but  by  far  the  most 
important  consideration  is  the  bird's  disposition. 
Should  she  be  naturally  tame,  your  troubles  will  be 
few ;  but  if  after  waiting  for  six  hours  or  so  she  still 
refuses  to  bring  food  for  her  young,  your  trouble 
will,  in  all  probability,  have  been  in  vain,  and  you 
will  have  to  search  for  a  new  subject.  I  once  spent 
two  entire  days  trying  to  coax  a  chewink  to  come 


INDIGO  BIRD  ABOUT  TO  FEED  HER  YOUNG. 


INDIGO  BIRD  FEEDING  HER  YOUNG. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     55 

and  find  her  young  who  were  posing  before  the 
camera,  but  without  success.  (Needless  to  say,  I 
allowed  them  opportunities  for  feeding  by  removing 
the  camera  occasionally.)  Even  though  I  concealed 
the  camera  with  leaves,  and  while  I  went  forty  feet 
away  and  hid  in  the  bushes,  one  or  other  of  the  old 
birds  would  sit  close  by  and  watch  every  movement. 
Several  times  I  saw  one  of  the  birds  go  fairly  near 
the  young  (without  carrying  food),  and  my  hopes 
would  be  raised,  for  I  thought  the  other  bird  had 
gone  in  search  of  food,  when  suddenly  from  the 
young  chestnut-trees  which  sheltered  me  a  voice 
would  call  "  Chewink,  chewink,  chewink,"  and  I 
knew  that  I  was  still  being  watched.  Finally,  be- 
coming disgusted  and  fearing  lest  the  young  might 
suffer  for  want  of  food,  I  packed  up  my  things  and 
went  away,  marvelling  at  the  remarkable  patience  of 
that  pair  of  chewinks. 

Birds  differ  so  much  in  their  natures  that  no  rule 
that  will  insure  success  can  be  laid  down.  With 
some  birds  it  is  necessary  to  conceal  yourself  from 
view  and  make  the  exposure  from  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, but  usually  you  may  stand  in  plain  view,  pro- 
vided you  are  not  too  near  and  do  not  make  any  quick 
motions.  Once  the  bird  has  become  used  to  your 
presence  she  will  no  longer  object  to  your  being 
near;  in  fact,  she  will  allow  you  to  stand  alongside  of 
her  young  while  she  feeds  them.  It  is  noticeable 


56      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

that  it  is  usually  the  female  bird  who  feeds  her  young 
in  the  presence  of  possible  danger;  often  the  male 
does  so  as  well,  but  never  in  my  experience  have  I 
seen  the  male  bird  come  until  his  mate  has  led  the 
way.  With  some  kinds  of  birds  we  find  that  the 
male  acts  as  sentinel  and  does  nothing  toward  the 
support  of  the  family,  while  with  others  the  two  share 
all  the  work  together,  nest-building,  incubating,  and 
feeding  the  young. 

PART  VI 

PHOTOGRAPHING    YOUNG    BIRDS    ALONE,   BOTH    WILD    AND    TAME 

Outfit  same  as  Part  III,  with  the  addition  of  a  cage-like  enclosure 
of  some  sort. 

IN  this  branch  of  work  we  find  the  greatest  possibil- 
ities of  making  beautiful  pictures,  as  the  subject  is, 
or  should  be,  under  control  so  that  we  may  arrange 
our  lighting  to  suit  ourselves,  and  as  there  is  no  longer 
the  necessity  for  the  objectionable  instantaneous  expo- 
sure, we  can  use  strong  contrasts  in  the  lighting  that 
would  be  impossible  with  a  very  short  exposure. 
One  of  the  most  effective  arrangements  of  light,  par- 
ticularly for  young  birds  that  are  fluffy,  is  where  the 
light  comes  from  above  and  back  of  the  bird.  For 
this  sunlight  is  used,  softened  slightly  by  passing 
through  wet  cheese-cloth  or  muslin.  In  this  way,  if 
the  bird  faces  you,  its  breast  is  in  shadow,  while  the 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND  EGGS     57 

sides  are  brightly  lighted  and  in  strong  relief.  The 
background  should  be  moderately  dark,  but  not 
black.  A  perfectly  black  background  is  never 
artistic  (if  you  will  pardon  the  word)  and  only 
crudely  effective.  Publishers  like  it  because  it  gives 
what  they  term  "  colour  "  to  the  pages,  but  nothing 
can  be  harder  on  a  delicately  lighted  subject,  full  of 
soft  grays,  than  to  force  it  to  stand  out  with  painful 
garishness  from  a  dead  black  ground.  All  gradations 
of  contrasts  may  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  white 
reflecting-cloths,  or  to  a  more  limited  extent  by  regu- 
lating the  exposure  or  the  developer,  remembering 
that  an  under-exposed  plate  will  give  increased  con- 
trast, but  that  the  same  effect  may  be  obtained  by 
adding  bromide  of  potash  to  the  developer  or  by 
reducing  the  amount  of  alkali. 

On  the  selection  of  the  support  much  of  the  beauty 
of  the  picture  depends.  A  single  small  twig  without 
leaves  has  the  advantage  of  making  the  bird  the  only 
object  in  the  picture.  This  has  many  arguments  in 
its  favour,  but  still  much  can  be  done  by  choosing  a 
suitable  support,  such  as  a  small  branch  with  leaves 
and  perhaps  flowers  or  fruit,  to  give  additional  interest 
and  beauty  to  the  picture.  Using  such  accessories 
adds  somewhat  to  one's  difficulties,  if  the  branch  is 
cut,  as  the  leaves  fade  quickly,  especially  in  warm 
weather,  and,  needless  to  say,  it  is  necessary  to  take 
precautions  against  this  either  by  having  the  end  of 


58     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

the  branch  in  water  or  by  wrapping  a  wet  cloth 
around  it.  For  the  sake  of  accuracy,  arrange  the 
branch  so  that  it  will  be  in  its  natural  growing  posi- 
tion; that  is  to  say,  a  branch  that  is  found  growing 
nearly  horizontally  should  be  placed  in  about  the 
same  position,  otherwise  the  leaves  will  not  hang 
correctly.  In  the  matter  of  background,  an  artificial 
one  of  any  desired  tone  may  be  used  or  a  natural  one 
of  leaves,  scrub,  etc.,  will  answer,  but  the  former 
gives  the  more  satisfactory  results,  especially  if  the 
cloth  or  whatever  is  used  is  hung  at  a  fair  distance  so 
that  a  branch  or  two  may  be  placed  between  the 
bird  and  the  background  ;  this  if  properly  arranged 
will  give  the  effect  of  natural  surroundings  better  than 
any  other  method. 

If  the  bird  or  birds  to  be  photographed  are  unable 
to  fly,  it  will  be  unnecessary  to  have  any  sort  of 
enclosure ;  but  should  they  have  the  use  of  their  wings, 
an  enclosure  of  some  sort  will  be  required,  otherwise 
you  and  your  subject  will  part  company.  The  mak- 
ing of  the  enclosure  is  one  of  the  things  that  will 
allow  of  ample  discussion.  There  are  many  ideas 
on  the  subject,  and  most  of  the  ideas  are  conspicuous 
more  by  their  bad  than  their  good  points.  Some 
people  advise  using  a  studio  which  is  strongly  lighted. 
Apart  from  the  objection  that  few  can  afford  such  a 
luxury,  the  advisability  of  using  it  may  be  questioned. 
Young  birds  are  tender  creatures,  easily  injured  and 


43 

I 
II 

PQ     a) 

O    ^ 

c 

°  & 

i! 

oS 


O     be 
C 

w  '5 

gi 

S  "B 


g 
§1 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND  EGGS     59 

easily  frightened.  When  frightened  they  will  fly  about 
as  though  crazy,  and  coming  in  contact  with  hard 
objects  are  more  than  apt  to  injure  or  kill  themselves. 
A  tent  made  of  gauze  is  not  a  bad  thing.  It  is  port- 
able, easily  erected,  and  is  light  and  airy.  Its  chief 
objectionable  features  are  that  the  birds  catch  their 
feet  in  the  fine  meshes,  and  in  their  excitement  they 
sometimes  break  their  legs ;  also  that  if  there  is 
much  wind  the  sides  bulge  in  and  break  away 
from  the  ground  fastenings.  Remember  a  bird  is 
very  quick  to  discover  any  hole  through  which 
escape  is  possible,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  it  can 
take  advantage  of  such  a  discovery  is  really  remark- 
able. A  device  with  which  I  have  had  some  slight 
success  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  cut.  It  is 
easily  made  and  answers  well  for  certain  work. 
A  is  mosquito  netting 
stretched  tightly  to  four 
uprights.  The  front  part 
is  cone  shaped,  having  a 
rubber  band  to  go  over 
the  lens  at  the  opening. 
The  loose  bag-like  form  is  to  allow  of  the  camera 
being  moved  back  and  forth.  An  opening  large 
enough  to  admit  a  bird  should  be  made  on  one  side. 
The  whole  thing  is  a  sort  of  photography  cage  which 
restricts  the  bird's  range,  "and  as  it  may  be  placed  in 
any  direction,  it  allows  of  an  almost  endless  variety  of 


60  NATURE   AND   THE  CAMERA 

lighting.  The  objection  to  this  device  (and  there 
is  an  objection  to  every  device  that  I  have  seen)  is  that 
for  some  reason  or  other  it  frightens  the  bird,  which 
usually  flies  immediately  toward  the  lens  and  objects 
to  being  replaced  in  its  proper  compartment.  Then, 
too,  it  is  difficult  to  handle  the  bird  with  any  degree 
of  comfort  and  convenience.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that 
young  birds  brought  up  in  captivity  are  usually  wilder 
and  more  difficult  to  manage  than  those  taken  in  their 
wild  state.  This  sounds  strange  and  may  not  be  the 
experience  of  others,  but  I  have  photographed  a 
great  many  birds  both  wild  and  in  captivity,  and  I 
can  safely  say  that  the  greatest  amount  of  trouble 
was  caused  by  the  tame  birds.  A  bluebird  that  I 
had  for  several  years  (he  now  has  a  mate  and  a  nest 
near  our  house)  was  what  might  be  termed  absolutely 
tame ;  he  would  sleep  inside  my  partly  closed  hand, 
come  when  called,  and  in  all  ways  but  one  would 
show  complete  confidence.  The  one  exception  was 
when  the  camera  was  in  evidence.  Then  and  only 
then  would  he  become  bad  and  act  wilder  than  the 
wildest  bird  of  the  woods,  and  though  I  made  re- 
peated attempts  I  never  succeeded  in  making  a  good 
photograph  of  him  after  he  attained  his  full  growth 
and  plumage. 

Young  birds  taken  directly  from  the  woods  when 
they  are  just  able  to  fly  are,  as  a  rule,  fairly  easy  to  man- 
age. It  is  true  that  they  sometimes  "cut  up'*  a  little  to 


II 

o  5 


«  g 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND   EGGS     61 

begin  with,  but  with  patience  and  careful  handling 
good  photographs  can  usually  be  secured  without  very 
much  waste  of  time.  A  good  photograph  of  a  young 
bird  is  not  necessarily  a  pretty  or  pleasing  picture, 
for  it  is  in  the  power  of  the  bird,  be  he  old  or  young, 
to  appear  pretty  or  the  reverse  according  to  his 
mood.  When  the  feathers  are  laid  tightly  down 
and  the  bird  is  stretched  out  thin,  he  shows  fear  and 
is  loo-king  his  very  worst.  With  young  birds  this  is 
particularly  noticeable.  The  same  bird  can  in  a 
moment  change  from  a  lean,  scrawny,  scared-looking 
atom  to  a  fluffy  little  ball  of  soft  feathers,  a  pleasure 
to  look  on  and  a  pleasure  to  photograph.  I  only 
refer  to  this  peculiarity  of  birds  in  order  that  the 
reader  may  not  be  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  "press  the 
button."  Let  him  wait  until  the  bird  assumes  a 
pleasing  attitude,  until  he  "looks  pleasant."  The 
results  will  surely  justify  the  delay. 

An  interesting  feature  of  bird  photography  is  the 
portrayal  of  the  growth  of  an  individual.  Take  for 
example  a  young  robin  the  day  it  leaves  the  egg. 
Photograph  it  as  soon  as  possible,  then  each  day 
repeat  the  operation  until  the  time  comes  for  the 
bird  to  leave  its  nest.  This  series  will  be  most  in- 
teresting, more  especially  so  if  several  different  types 
of  birds  are  treated  in  the  same  way  and  careful  notes 
made  of  the  dates.  It  is  unnecessary  here  to  enter 
into  details  as  to  how  much  interesting  material  may 


62      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

be  collected  in  this  way.  The  reader,  if  a  bird  stu- 
dent, will  readily  realise  that. 

A  word  as  to  the  method  which  should  be  employed 
in  making  these  series:  Each  photograph  of  a  set 
should  be  made  with  exactly  the  same  distance  between 
the  lens  and  the  object;  this  will  insure  accuracy  as  to 
the  size  of  the  bird  during  each  step  of  its  develop- 
ment. Another  way  is  to  place  the  bird  on  a  piece 
of  paper  or  wood  marked  off  in  small  squares  of  equal 
size;  by  these  squares  the  bird  may  be  measured. 
On  account  of  the  constant  movement  of  very  young 
birds,  caused  by  their  breathing,  it  is  necessary  to 
make  the  exposure  as  short  as  possible.  As  the 
birds  develop,  their  respiration  becomes  slower  and 
less  laboured,  consequently  the  exposure  may  be  in- 
creased. It  will  be  noticed  that  the  gallinaceous 
birds,  even  when  but  a  day  or  two  old,  breathe  with 
less  apparent  effort  than  the  helpless  young  of  the 
thrushes,  warblers,  and  others  that  are  born  blind 
and  naked;  their  whole  body  throbs  at  each  breath. 
Especially  is  this  noticeable  when  the  weather  is 
warm. 

On  no  account  should  birds  be  handled  more 
than  is  absolutely  necessary.  If  they  are  very  young 
the  soft  pin-feathers  are  easily  injured,  and  if  they 
are  feathered  the  warmth  of  the  hand  will  moisten 
and  disarrange  the  feathers.  When  carrying  a  bird, 
if  it  is  able  to  perch,  let  it  sit  on  your  finger  (they 


C    £ 


II 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND   EGGS     63 

will  usually  do  so  after  a  few  attempts),  unless  it 
can  fly,  when  of  course  it  must  be  covered ;  but  if 
it  is  unable  to  perch,  place  it  in  your  hat  (a  lining 
of  a  few  leaves  will  be  a  desirable  precaution)  or 
some  similar  receptacle,  but  on  no  account  carry  it 
for  any  length  of  time  in  your  hand. 

Before  finishing  these  lines  on  young-bird  photog- 
raphy a  few  words  may  not  be  amiss  in  regard  to 
the  advisability  of  always,  if  you  use  accessories, 
choosing  such  as  are  in  keeping  with  the  bird's  nat- 
ural environments.  Try  to  make  the  surroundings 
tell  of  the  bird's  nature  and  habits.  For  example,  a 
scrub-loving  bird,  like  the  Maryland  yellowthroat, 
should  be  among  some  scrubby  growth  of  a  damp- 
soil  nature  by  preference.  An  oven-bird  would  be 
better  on  the  leafy  ground  or  on  a  log  rather  than 
on  a  bush.  The  robin  might  be  placed  on  a  branch, 
a  meadow-lark  on  a  grassy  sod,  and  so  on.  I  once  saw 
a  photograph  of  a  family  of  barn-swallows  perched  on 
a  vine.  The  picture  was  good  enough  from  a  pho- 
tographic and  pictorial  standpoint,  but  it  lacked  inter- 
est from  the  bird  student's  point  of  view.  If  you 
have  many  birds  together,  arrange  them  so  that  they 
will  show  in  different  positions,  back,  front,  and  side 
views.  It  is  in  all  these  small  details  that  the  differ- 
ence is  shown  between  the  careful  and  the  casual 
photographer  of  birds.  If  a  picture  is  worth  taking, 
it  is  worth  taking  as  well  as  one  knows  how. 


64     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

PART    VII 

PHOTOGRAPHING    THE    ADULT    BIRD,   WILD    AND    TAME 

Outfit  required.  —  Same  as  Part  III,  with  addition  of  a  graflex  or  some  such 
camera,  and  a  telephoto  lens;  use  the  focal  plane  instead  of  lens  shutter  if 
birds  in  flight  are  to  be  portrayed.  Reflecting-cloth,  pruners,  and  lock- 
saw  will  probably  not  be  needed. 

THE  most  difficult  and  most  discouraging  branch  of 
photography  is  that  which  deals  with  the  wild 
adult  bird  at  any  other  than  -the  nesting  period. 
Seldom  do  we  find  a  bird  in  its  free  state  that  will 
allow  us  to  approach  to  within  the  desired  distance. 
Unless  we  use  a  telephoto  lens  we  must  be  within  five 
or  six  feet  of  any  of  the  smaller  birds,  if  we  wish  the 
bird  to  be  an  appreciable  size.  At  ten  feet  a  robin 
is  a  very  small  object  when  seen  through  a  lens  of 
nine-inch  focus,  and  yet  it  is  not  often  that  we  have 
the  opportunity  of  making  an  exposure  at  even  that 
distance,  while  larger  birds  are  still  more  difficult  to 
approach,  in  proportion  to  their  size.  There  are 
times,  as,  for  example,  when  the  ground  is  covered 
with  snow,  when  through  the  scarcity  of  food  birds 
will  allow  of  a  near  approach.  Photographs  can  then 
be  made  with  good  results  and  with  comparatively  little 
difficulty.  The  white  of  the  snow  reflects  so  much 
light  that  very  short  exposures  may  be  made,  and  the 
lack  of  strong  colouring  and  usually  the  absence  of 
dark  shadows  are  all  to  the  advantage  of  the  pho- 


Copyright,    1900,   A.   R.   Dugmore. 
YOUNG  CRESTED  FLYCATCHERS. 


Copyright,   IQOC    .4.  R.  Dugmore. 
YOUNG  CRESTED  FLYCATCHERS  READY  FOR  FOOD. 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS   AND   EGGS     6j 

tographer.  Decoys  in  the  form  of  food  will  attract 
many  kinds  of  birds,  and  some  will  become  regular 
visitors  where  food  is  habitually  placed  and  will 
gradually  become  very  tame.  A  piece  of  meat  or 
suet  secured  to  a  branch  will  tempt  some  species, 
while  bread-crumbs  or  seed  thrown  ofi  the  ground 
will  attract  others.  Still  another  good  bait  is  a  cocoa- 
nut,  broken  in  half  and  hung  in  a  convenient  place. 
Some  birds  may  at  times  be  coaxed  to  a  conve- 
nient site  for  photographing  by  the  presence  of  a 
mounted  owl,  but  this  plan  works  best  during  the 
nesting  season.  A  scheme  which  I  have  long  in- 
tended to  try,  and  which  might  perhaps  work  suc- 
cessfully, is  a  portable  blind  in  the  form  of  an  arti- 
ficial cow.  This  should  be  made  of  a  light  frame- 
work of  cane  or  split  bamboo  and  covered  with 
thin  muslin  painted  in  imitation  of  the  animal.  Of 
course  it  must  be  made  light  enough  to  be  readily 
portable.  It  would  be  interesting  to  see  how  crude 
an  imitation  of  an  animal  would  pass  the  critical 
eye  of  birds.  The  photographing  would  have  to 
be  done  by  means  of  a  graflex  or  some  such  camera, 
as,  of  course,  a  tripod  would  be  out  of  the  question. 
Whether  or  not  this  idea  would  work  out  cannot  be 
known  until  it  has  been  tried.  I  simply  offer  it  as  a 
suggestion.  A  device  used  by  Mr.  Frank  Chapman, 
which  works  satisfactorily,  is  an  umbrella  of  a  green- 
ish-drab colour.  From  the  rib  ends  a  cloth  of  the 


66      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

same  colour  is  hung;  this,  reaching  the  ground,  com- 
pletely conceals  the  photographer  and  allows  him 
to  approach  the  bird  unobserved. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  telephoto  lens  has  not  the 
speed  necessary  for  all  kinds  of  bird  photography ;  if 
it  had,  our  difficulties  would  be  greatly  lessened,  but 
except  under  unusually  favourable  conditions  it  can- 
not be  used  with  any  great  success.  While  a  bird  is 
on  the  move  or  is  flying,  with  the  sky  for  a  back- 
ground, good  results  may  be  obtained,  provided  the 
magnification  is  not  too  great.  From  my  experience 
4  diameters  is  about  the  limit  for  instantaneous  expo- 
sures when  the  positive  element  is  a  very  rapid  lens. 
Where  birds  are  among  trees  or  bushes  the  telephoto 
is  not  so  satisfactory.  The  increased  exposure  made 
necessary  by  the  scarcity  and  greenness  of  the  light 
practically  prevents  the  photographing  of  such  a 
quick-moving  object  as  a  bird.  There  are  excep- 
tions, of  course,  as,  for  example,  the  whippoorwill, 
or  even  the  ruffed  grouse,  which  will  occasionally 
sit  motionless  for  the  required  time;  but  the  smaller 
birds  are  ever  on  the  move,  so  that  even  out  in  the 
open  it  requires  a  rapid  lens  and  good  light  to  insure 
a  sharply  defined  photograph  that  shows  any  amount 
of  detail.  In  places  where  water-fowl  abound,  as,  for 
instance,  in  Florida,  the  possibilities  are  almost  unlim- 
ited ;  owing  to  the  brilliancy  of  the  light,  even  dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  the  telephoto  lens  may  be 


YOUNG   FLICKERS. 
The  white  tips  of  the  bills  show  where  the  hardening  is  taking  place. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     67 

used  with  the  greatest  possible  advantage.  Ducks  of 
many  species  can  be  photographed  if  a  blind  of  grass 
and  bushes  is  made  in  a  convenient  situation.  It  is 
best  to  select  a  place  that  is  frequented  by  the  birds 
either  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  or  resting.  In  cer- 
tain pools,  or  bends  in  a  river,  the  birds  will  be  seen 
nearly  every  day  at  certain  hours.  In  such  places  pho- 
tographs may  be  secured  with  scarcely  any  difficulty. 
Of  all  the  places  I  have  seen,  Florida  is  the  country 
par  excellence  for  the  photographer  of  water-fowl. 
The  numerous  rivers,  the  secluded  cypress  ponds, 
the  open  marshes,  or  the  sea-coast,  all  offer  facilities 
for  the  work  that  are  perhaps  unexcelled  in  any  other 
State.  The  birds  are  very  plentiful  and  remarkably 
tame,  except  in  places  where  fiends  in  the  guise  of 
men  spend  their  time  on  the  bows  of  the  river 
steamers,  armed  to  the  teeth  with  shot-gun  and  rifle, 
firing  at  every  form  of  living  creature  (except  men 
and  cattle)  that  comes  within  the  range  of  gun  or  rifle. 
Their  prey  may  be  killed  or  wounded,  it  makes  no 
difference  ;  it  is  left  where  it  falls,  and  no  one  is  any 
better  for  the  murderous  deed.  In  this  way  some  of 
the  very  best  locations,  such  as  the  Kissimmee  River, 
are  being  completely  denuded  of  their  bird  popula- 
tion, or  else  the  comparatively  few  birds  that  remain 
have  become  so  afraid  of  man  that  a  near  approach 
is  almost  impossible.  If  this  crying  evil  were  sup- 
pressed, this  river  and  many  other  such  places  would 


68     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

once  more  be  the  paradise  for  the  bird  photographer 
and  the  bird  lover.  Twelve  years  ago  one  could  sit 
all  day  on  the  edge  of  some  cypress  pond  and  watch 
a  steady  stream  of  birds  —  herons,  egrets,  curlew,  wood- 
ibis,  coots,  gallinules,  and  ducks  of  many  kinds  —  come 
and  go.  All  day  long,  from  the  waking  of  birds  at 
the  first  glimpse  of  dawn  till  after  the  sun  had  set, 
one's  interest  need  never  wane.  The  bird  life  could 
be  studied  and  photographed  at  will.  Animals,  too, 
were  seldom  wanting :  fox-squirrels  playing  in  the 
cypress-trees  ;  otters,  sometimes  five  or  six  at  a  time, 
would  perform  their  antics  with  all  the  playfulness 
of  kittens ;  'possums  and  raccoons  and  frequently 
deer  would  add  interest  to  the  scene.  Now,  thanks 
to  the  plume-hunter,  the  trapper,  and  the  indiscrim- 
inate "  sportsman  "  (so  called),  all  this  has  changed, 
and  one  must  search  for  such  ponds  in  places  unfre- 
quented by  the  above-named  trio. 

In  photographing  ducks,  decoys  will  be  found 
most  useful,  as  they  will  entice  the  wild  birds  to  the 
place  desired  by  the  photographer.  But  for  most  of 
the  other  birds  inhabiting  ponds  and  swamps,  blinds 
and  still-hunting  are  the  best  methods.  In  still- 
hunting  one  may  sometimes  facilitate  the  work  by 
making  a  shield  of  tall  grass  or  brush,  with  the  upper 
part  slightly  overhanging.  There  should  be  an  open- 
ing of  sufficient  size,  so  that  the  exposure  can  be 
made  without  disclosing  one's  self.  This  screen,  being 


Q  "8 


. 

PQ     •* 

sj 

«   -c 


£ 

w   « 

w   8 
a  C 

il 

>      M 

W     rt 


S21 

PL,      t« 


H 

sS 

£     « 
>    -J 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     69 

carried  very  slowly,  will  often  allow  the  photographer 
to  approach  to  within  fair  distance  of  even  the  wilder 
birds.  At  almost  any  of  the  villages  situated  on  the 
water  many  species  of  birds  may  be  photographed, 
thanks  to  the  local  law  which  prohibits  the  shooting 
of  birds  within  "  city  limits."  How  well  the  birds 
understand  this  law  is  made  apparent  by  their  remark- 
able tameness  within  these  prescribed  limits.  They 
realise  thoroughly  that  the  place  is  a  sanctuary,  and 
that  there,  at  least,  men  may  be  trusted,  and  the  man 
armed  with  the  camera  taking  advantage  of  these 
conditions  can  secure  with  ease  photographs  that  would 
otherwise  be  practically  unobtainable. 

In  regard  to  photographing  the  smaller  species 
of  birds,  so  much  depends  on  the  conditions,  which 
are  endless  in  their  variety,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
cover  the  subject.  Each  individual  bird  is  a  study 
by  itself,  so  that  no  rules  can  be  laid  down  that  would 
be  of  much  use. 

In  photographing  adult  birds  in  captivity,  the 
same  devices  may  be  used  as  recommended  in  Part 
VI ;  the  same  suggestions  as  to  lighting  and  exposure 
also  apply.  When  a  bird  is  placed  in  any  sort  of 
cage  adapted  to  photographing,  do  not  be  in  too 
great  a  hurry  to  make  the  exposure;  usually  the  bird 
will  at  first  be  very  wild  and  excited,  therefore  it  is 
best  to  wait  until  the  excitement  has  passed.  Inter- 
est the  bird  in  some  way,  as  by  giving  him  something 


yo  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

to  eat.  Choose  something  that  he  likes  but  is  not 
accustomed  to.  With  insectivorous  birds  that  are  in 
captivity,  a  grasshopper  will  sometimes  attract  atten- 
tion ;  while  with  fruit-eating  birds,  a  bunch  of  grapes, 
wild  cherries,  or  other  such  delicacy  will  frequently 
cause  them  to  forget  the  strangeness  of  the  situation. 
In  nearly  all  cases  where  a  large  image  of  the  bird 
is  wanted,  use  isochromatic  plates;  as  these  render 
the  colour-values  so  much  more  correctly  than  the 
ordinary  plates,  it  will  be  patent  to  the  most  casual 
observer  how  much  more  correct  will  be  the  result- 
ing portrait  of  the  bird.  Only  in  cases  where  gray 
and  brown  toned  birds  are  to  be  photographed  should 
ordinary  plates  be  used. 

Picturing  birds  in  flight  is  perhaps  one  of  the 
most  fascinating  branches  of  the  work  ;  there  is  some- 
thing so  delightful  in  catching  a  bird  as  it  skims 
past,  and  securing  it  for  ever  on  the  photographic 
plate.  A  few  years  ago  such  a  thing  was  impossible, 
and  we  had  to  content  ourselves  with  drawings  of  the 
flying  bird;  and,  as  the  camera  has  since  proved,  these 
drawings  were  in  most  cases  absolutely  incorrect. 
The  position  of  the  wing-feathers  when  in  motion 
was  almost  unknown  until  the  camera  showed  it  to 
us.  Now  nearly  every  one  has  seen  such  excellent 
photographs  as  those  made  by  Mr.  Otto  von  Bargen, 
which  show  gulls  and  other  birds  on  the  wing.  In 
order  to  secure  such  photographs  it  is  of  course  ne- 


RED  POLL. 

An  example  of  photography  on  the  snow. 


RED  POLL. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   NESTS   AND   EGGS     71 

cessary  to  use  a  very  rapid  shutter,  the  best  type  being 
the  focal  plane,  which  works  directly  in  front  of  the 
plate.  With  this  shutter  practically  no  light  is  lost, 
so  that  with  the  minimum  exposure  you  secure  the 
greatest  possible  amount  of  illumination.  Exposures 
of  up  to  one  thousandth  of  a  second  may  thus  be 
given  when  conditions  are  favourable.  Needless  to 
say,  a  camera  of  the  graflex  type  is  by  far  the  best 
for  such  work,  as  it  enables  one  to  focus  on  the  bird 
up  to  the  instant  of  making  the  exposure.  By  this 
means  a  sharply  defined  photograph  is  almost  a  cer- 
tainty, if  the  shutter  is  set  at  the  required  speed. 

In  order  to  secure  photographs  of  adult  birds  by 
themselves  during  the  nesting  season,  our  difficulties 
are  greatly  lessened,  for  we  have  one  point  to  which 
the  bird  is  unfailingly  attracted,  the  nest  or  the  place 
where  the  young  are  hidden  being  the  attraction, 
that  is,  the  point  to  which  we  should  devote  our- 
selves. If  we  stand  near  the  nest,  or  even  place  an 
object  such  as  the  camera  near  it,  we  will  notice 
that  the  birds  usually  select  some  particular  twig  on 
which  to  perch  each  time  they  come  near  the  nest 
or  their  young.  Here  is  our  opportunity;  focus 
the  camera  on  this  point,  and  make  the  exposure 
when  the  bird  assumes  a  suitable  attitude.  In  case 
there  is  no  conspicuous  perch  for  the  birds,  place  a 
dead  branch  where  you  wish  them  to  come,  and 
more  than  likely  they  will  take  advantage  if  it  offers 


72      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

them  a  clear  view  of  the  camera  or  other  offending 
object. 

Throughout  this  work  the  bird  photographer 
must  be  quick  to  avail  himself  of  favourable  condi- 
tions and  ready  to  overcome  the  endless  difficulties 
which  will  at  one  time  or  another  beset  his  path. 
The  powers  of  resource  combined  with  patience  have 
more  to  do  with  the  success  of  the  work  than  the 
following  of  rules  and  formulas.  The  truest  proverb 
to  be  borne  in  mind  by  the  bird  photographer  is  that 
"necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention/'  Being  al- 
ways ready  with  expedients  does  much  to  insure 
success. 


CEDAR-BIRD   IN    WILD    CHERRY    TREE. 


CHAPTER    III 

PHOTOGRAPHING    ANIMALS 
PART  I 

WILD    ANIMALS    AT    LARGE 

Out  ft  required. — Camera  preferably  the  graflex  or  some  such  type  of  box 
that  allows  of  focussing  while  the  plate  is  ready  to  be  exposed  and  has  a 
draw  of  bellows  sufficient  for  the  use  of  low-power  telephoto  lens. 
Long-focus  lens  of  great  rapidity,  tripod,  etc. 

FEW  of  the  vast  army  of  photographers  realise 
what  it  is  to  hunt  wild  animals  with  their  cameras; 
still  fewer  of  the  sportsmen  appreciate  the  amount  of 
sport  which  may  be  had  when  the  camera  takes  the 
place  of  the  rifle.  They  don't  consider  that  for  the 
camera  there  is  no  close  season.  Game  of  all  kind 
—  and  all  animals  are  the  camera's  game  —  may  be 
hunted  with  more  or  less  success  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year.  If  we  consider  the  skill  required  for  camera 
hunting,  we  must  realise  that  more  is  needed  than 
when  the  gun  is  used ;  for  it  is  necessary  not  only  to 
approach  nearer  to  the  animal,  but,  even  when  near, 

73 


74     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

hours  may  be  spent  in  trying  to  secure  either  a  favour- 
able place  or  a  suitable  attitude,  and  during  all  this 
time  every  precaution  known  to  the  hunter  is  called 
into  practice.  Stalk  a  deer  with  the  camera  and  you 
will  realise  how  small  a  thing  will  mar  the  chances 
of  success.  A  twig  incautiously  broken,  the  grazing 
of  the  camera  against  a  dry  branch,  or  any  of  the 
hundred  and  one  accidents  that  may  at  times  happen 
to  the  still-hunter,  and  where  is  your  photograph  ? 
Gone !  Whereas  had  you  been  using  the  rifle  you 
might  easily  have  bagged  your  game.  Stalk  a  big 
bull  moose,  even  though  it  be  during  the  close  season, 
and  unless  you  by  chance  find  an  animal  that  is  absurdly 
tame,  as  occasionally  they  are,  you  will  find  excite- 
ment enough  if  you  would  come  within  fifty  feet  of 
the  big  creature.  Learn  all  you  can  about  still-  • 
hunting,  do  not  relax  your  vigilance,  and  take  no- 
thing on  chance,  and  you  may  succeed;  fail  in  any 
one  precaution,  and  you  will  have  no  picture. 

Once  when  I  was  on  a  trip  trying  to  secure  some 
moose  pictures,  I  came  across  a  fine  large  bull  ;  the 
situation  was  perfect  from  a  pictorial  point  of  view. 
He  was  in  a  large  pond  where  the  lily-pads  were 
abundant;  in  the  near  background  was  a  bank  of 
trees,  mostly  birch  ;  beyond  stood  Mount  Katahdin  in 
the  misty  distance ;  the  moose  was  feeding  in  shallow 
water,  the  light  was  bright,  and  as  the  wind  was  in 
the  right  direction,  everything  pointed  to  a  successful 


PHOTOGRAPHING    ANIMALS  75 

picture.  We  were  in  a  canoe ;  slowly  and  noiselessly 
we  came  through  the  smooth  water  ;  scarcely  a  ripple 
did  the  canoe  make.  Nearer  and  nearer,  and  still  the 
bull  had  not  seen  us.  When  within  about  seventy 
feet  (I  was  using  a  telephoto  lens)  I  stood  up  slowly 
and  quietly,  while  the  animal  was  busy  feeding.  No 
sooner  was  I  in  position  than  he  looked  up.  A  finer 
picture  could  not  be  imagined.  His  enormous  ant- 
lers, still  in  the  velvet,  seemed  almost  out  of  propor- 
tion to  his  size.  And  he  stood  absolutely  still  while 
I,  trembling  with  excitement,  focussed  the  camera 
and  pressed  the  button.  Instantly  the  huge  beast 
made  a  dash  for  the  shore  and  in  a  second  was  lost 
to  view,  and  I  sat  down  congratulating  myself  on 
having  secured  such  a  splendid  picture.  Imagine 
my  disgust  when,  on  going  to  change  the  plate-holder, 
I  discovered  that  in  my  excitement  I  had  neglected 
to  draw  the  slide.  My  chance  was  gone,  and  never 
again  did  another  such  opportunity  present  itself. 
All  of  which  only  goes  to  show  that  coolness  and 
presence  of  mind  are  as  much  needed  in  stalking 
animals  with  the  camera  as  with  the  gun.  Every 
little  detail  must  be  thought  of.  That  sounds  easy 
enough,  but  how  often  it  happens  that  we  lose  our 
very  best  chances  through  forgetting  some  trivial 
item !  The  only  way  to  avoid  such  experiences  is  to 
have  a  regular  system  of  examining  the  camera  when 
about  to  make  a  picture;  have  a  regular  routine,  and 


76      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

follow  it  out  in  all  cases.     It  becomes  a  habit,  so  that 
after  a  time  we  do  it  automatically. 

The  question  of  a  camera  for  this  branch  of  work 
is  perhaps  more  important  than  in  any  other.  A 
tripod  camera  is  in  nearly  all  cases  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, except  for  small  animals.  An  ordinary  hand- 
camera  has  the  objection  that  one  has  to  guess  at  the 
focus,  a  most  difficult  thing  to  do ;  and  most  hand- 
cameras  are  made  to  use  a  short-focus  lens,  which  in 
wild-animal  work  is  utterly  useless.  From  my  own 
experience  the  graflex  camera  seems  the  one  best 
fitted  to  the  work ;  its  great  length  of  bellows  will 
allow  the  use  of  the  hand-camera  telephoto  lens, 
which  has  a  magnification  of  3^  diameters.  Armed 
with  such  an  instrument,  almost  any  kind  of  work 
may  be  done,  and  with  the  least  possible  difficulty 
and  the  greatest  possible  chance  of  success.  It  is 
perhaps  needless  to  say  that  no  outfit  is  complete 
without  a  telephoto  lens.  For  animal  work  the  kind 
known  as  the  hand-camera  one  (such  as  that  made 
by  Bausch  &  Lomb)  is  the  best;  it  only  magnifies 
3J^  diameters,  but  that  is  as  much  as  can  safely  be 
risked  for  hand-camera  work  or  when  the  objects 
are  constantly  moving.  With  a  plastigmat  fitted 
with  one  of  these  telephoto  lens  I  have  made  expo- 
sures of  one  hundredth  of  a  second  on  live  animals 
in  motion,  and  obtained  very  fair  results.  This  was 
on  a  bright  day,  of  course;  in  cloudy  weather  one 


o  .c 
,n   t/1 


E  c 

4  3 


=       b 

til 


Q   ^ 

Si 

£   s 


. 

ll 


PHOTOGRAPHING   ANIMALS  77 

fifth  will  yield  a  perfectly  exposed  plate.  For  all 
animals  that  can  be  approached  near  enough,  use  a 
long-focus  lens  in  preference  to  the  telephoto,  as  the 
lens  without  the  telephoto  attachment  is  both  quicker 
and  more  easily  focussed.  The  plates  necessary  for 
the  work  must  be  of  extreme  rapidity.  Isochromatic 
plates  will  of  course  give  somewhat  better  results  so 
far  as  the  general  landscape  is  concerned,  but,  owing 
to  their  sensitiveness  to  dampness,  they  are  scarcely  to 
be  recommended  except  for  trips  of  a  week  or  so. 
The  exigencies  of  camping  do  not  allow  of  the  care 
necessary  for  their  protection. 

As  has  been  said  before,  a  short-focus  lens  is  of 
practically  no  use  in  animal  photography;  when 
large  animals  are  the  subjects,  they  are  rendered  too 
small  unless  you  are  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to 
approach  to  within  very  short  range.  Even  then  the 
results  are  far  from  satisfactory.  The  shorter  the 
focal  length  of  the  lens,  the  greater  will  be  the  dis- 
tortion due  to  the  exaggerated  foreshortening,  so 
that  for  all  animals,  large  or  small,  use  a  long-focus 
lens  —  the  longer  the  better,  so  that  its  speed  is  great 
enough.  For  a  four-by-five  plate  I  use  nothing  less 
than  a  nine-and-a-half-inch  lens,  usually  one  of  still 
greater  length.  Do  not  forget  that  the  light  in  the 
woods  is  much  less  powerful  than  it  appears  to  be, 
so  that  it  is  seldom  safe  to  make  instantaneous  expo- 
sures even  with  a  rapid  lens,  while  the  telephoto 


78     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

attachment  can  only  be  used  with  a  time  exposure. 
Absolutely  safe  plate-holders  are  more  important  in 
wild-animal  work  than  in  any  other,  as,  owing  to  the 
varying  conditions,  the  roughness  of  the  country  in 
which  the  work  is  usually  done,  the  length  of  time 
that  a  plate  has  to  be  ready  for  use  with  the  slide 
drawn,  and  the  difficulties  of  guarding  against  possible 
danger  of  having  the  plate  struck  by  light  by  pro- 
tecting the  camera  with  a  black  cloth,  the  plate- 
holder  is  subjected  to  the  most  severe  tests. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  precise  instruction  for  photo- 
graphing animals;  each  species  is  so  different  in  its 
characteristics  that  what  would  be  true  of  one  kind 
might  be  absolutely  untrue  of  another.  Not  only  does 
each  species  require  particular  treatment,  but  fre- 
quently individuals  of  the  same  species  are  so  entirely 
peculiar  in  their  habits  as  to  require  entirely  different 
methods.  Sometimes  we  find  squirrels  that  will 
pick  up  a  nut  when  thrown  to  them,  and  sit  down 
to  eat  it  while  we  secure  the  picture,  while  others 
will  scamper  off  and  on  no  account  allow  themselves 
to  be  photographed.  Still  more  noticeable  is  the  in- 
dividuality of  any  of  the  deer  family.  I  have  seen  a 
two-year-old  bull  moose,  after  making  a  wild  dash 
away  from  the  canoe,  come  back  and  begin  feeding 
within  forty  feet  of  us,  remaining  thus  for  ten  min- 
utes or  more  while  I  made  a  number  of  exposures. 
We  were  in  plain  view  all  the  time,  and  the  wind 


PHOTOGRAPHING   ANIMALS  79 

blew  directly  from  us  to  him ;  yet,  for  some  unknown 
reason,  he  entertained  no  fear  of  us,  even  though  we 
talked  and  moved  about  without  taking  the  slightest 
precaution. 

Of  all  the  animals  none  is  easier  to  photograph 
than  the  'possum.  Whether  he  is  very  foolish  or 
exceedingly  smart,  I  have  never  quite  made  up  my 
mind.  His  slowness  of  movement  enables  us  to 
control  his  whereabouts  so  that  with  little  trouble  he 
can  be  photographed  in  almost  any  place  or  position. 
Occasionally  he  acts  "cussed  mean"  and  will  do  no- 
thing but  "  play  'possum."  Take  him  by  the  tail 
(the  only  natural  way  to  hold  him)  and  place  him 
on  a  branch;  he  will  not  so  much  as  hold  on,  but 
will  let  himself  fall,-  even  though  the  distance  be 
great.  Nothing  you  can  do  will  make  him  show 
signs  of  animation  until  it  suits  his  convenience.  But 
once  he  is  in  his  right  mind  he  is  a  perfect  model 
for  the  animal  photographer.  Another  excellent 
subject  for  the  camera  is  the  porcupine.  The  only 
great  objection  to  him  is  that  he  cannot  be  handled. 
His  movements  may  be  influenced  by  pushing  him 
with  a  stick,  but  that  is  done  only  at  the  loss  of 
some  of  his  quills.  One  time  I  had  some  photo- 
graphic illustrations  to  make  for  a  magazine.  The 
story  dealt  with  a  porcupine.  In  making  the  pic- 
tures I  "used  up"  seventeen  animals;  that  is  to  say, 
in  trying  to  induce  them  to  assume  the  attitudes  I 


8o      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

needed,  they  lost  so  many  quills  that  their  beauty 
(what  little  they  possessed)  was  completely  destroyed, 
often  without  an  exposure  having  been  made. 

Small  animals  such  as  mice  are  most  satisfactory  in 
pictures,  and  they  may  be  photographed  with  com- 
paratively little  trouble.  The  best  pictures  are  those 
which  show  the  old  and  young  together.  Some- 
times the  nest  is  a  satisfactory  accessory.  But  in  all 
cases  choose  such  surroundings  as  would  illustrate 
something  of  the  animals'  life  and  habits.  You  will 
probably  find  difficulty  in  restricting  the  range  of 
most  small  wild  animals ;  if  so,  try  using  a  glass  box, 
or  a  box  with  a  glass  front.  In  this  arrange  your 
accessories,  and  make  the  exposure  when  the  animal 
assumes  the  position  you  wish/  To  avoid  reflections 
on  the  glass  let  the  sun  shine  directly  on  it  and  don't 
use  a  very  dark  background. 


PART    II 

WILD    ANIMALS    IN    CAPTIVITY 

OF  all  branches  of  photography  there  is  none  so  de- 
ceptive as  the  photographing  of  animals  in  the  Zoos. 
Nothing  appears  so  easy,  and  yet  the  difficulties  are 
far  greater  than  one  would  ever  believe.  Of  course, 
if  you  do  not  object  to  the  bars  showing  between 
the  animal  and  yourself,  why,  then  it  is  easy  enough. 


PRAIRIE  DOG  ON  EDGE  OF  ITS  BURROW. 
In   the   Washington    National   Zoo. 


A  PAIR  OP  PRONGHORN  ANTELOPES. 
Photographed  in  the  Washino-trm  Motional  7.r,n 


PHOTOGRAPHING   ANIMALS  81 

But  when  you  want  really  good  pictures,  pictures 
that  show  the  animal  in  striking  and  characteristic 
attitudes,  away  from  the  objectionable  bars,  then  I 
say  the  work  is  difficult.  At  first  thought  one  would 
say,  "That  's  easy  enough;  I  could  make  twenty  or 
thirty  photographs  a  day  without  the  slightest 
trouble";  but  the  first  day  spent  in  the  Zoo  would 
disillusion  you,  and  you  would  be  more  humble,  and 
think  yourself  in  luck  if  you  made  six  or  eight  good 
pictures.  With  a  tripod-camera  the  work  is  abso- 
lutely disheartening,  one  good  picture  being  fre- 
quently the  result  of  a  day's  hard  work  ;  but  with  a 
hand-camera  with  which  you  can  focus  accurately, 
better  work  can  be  done,  and  with  infinitely  less 
trouble. 

The  animals  may  be  divided  into  two  aggravating 
classes:  those  that  are  too  tame,  and  those  that  are 
too  wild.  If  anything,  the  latter  are  the  easier  to 
manage.  You  can  get  pictures  of  these  even  if  they 
are  rather  far  away.  But  the  animal  which  insists  on 
putting  his  nose  through  the  bars  and  licking  the 
lens  tries  one's  patience  to  the  limit.  There  is  a 
large  gray  wolf  in  the  Bronx  Zoo  (New  York)  that 
I  have  tried  a  number  of  times  to  photograph,  but 
so  far  without  success.  In  fact,  I  never  made  but 
one  exposure,  as  I  could  not  get  far  enough  away. 
He  always  wants  to  lick  my  hand  or  the  camera. 
With  some  of  the  animals  it  is  curiosity  which 


82      NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

prompts  them  to  come  so  near  ;  but  with  many  it  is 
the  spirit  of  friendship,  and  with  these,  though  they 
are  most  exasperating,  one  cannot  be  angry.  While 
the  animals  are  being  fed  is  usually  the  best  time 
to  secure  photographs,  as  then  their  attention  is 
devoted  to  the  food,  and  to  watching  each  other,  if 
there  are  several  in  a  cage,  and  the  camera  has  little 
or  no  attraction  for  them.  If  the  rules  of  the  Zoo 
permit  visitors  to  feed  the  animals,  it  is  a  good  plan 
to  come  provided  with  such  dainties  as  would  be 
most  appreciated.  By  placing  the  food  where  you 
wish  your  subject  to  stand,  you  may  be  sure  of  his 
going  there;  only  you  may  generally  be  equally  sure 
of  his  back  being  turned  toward  you.  So  the  best 
way  is  to  throw  food  to  a  point  farther  from  you 
than  you  wish  the  animal  to  stand,  then  when  he  is 
there  throw  another  piece  nearer;  in  this  way,  as  he 
has  to  turn  back  to  get  the  food,  he  will  be  more 
likely  to  stand  either  facing  or  broadside  to  you. 
By  such  methods  you  can  sometimes  induce  an  ani- 
mal to  overcome  its  natural  aversion  to  going  to  the 
place  you  wish.  Whenever  possible  it  is  advisable 
to  avoid  having  the  iron  bars  and  other  such  unne- 
cessary and  unbeautiful  objects  show  in  the  picture. 
A  way  to  overcome  this,  where  it  is  impossible  to 
secure  a  picture  without  the  bars,  is  by  double  print- 
ing; that  is  to  say,  block  out  all  the  background  on 
your  negative,  leaving  the  animal  only ;  then  make  a 


PHOTOGRAPHING   ANIMALS  83 

picture  of  a  suitable  background,  being  careful  to  keep 
the  correct  proportion  of  things,  and  print  your  animal 
into  this  scene.  By  this  method1  beautiful  results  may 
be  obtained  with  comparatively  little  trouble. 

Remember  that  what  was  said  in  Part  I  of  this 
chapter  regarding  the  advantages  of  using  a  long- 
focus  lens  applies  to  this  branch  of  photography 
almost  more  than  to  any  other.  The  grotesquely  fore- 
shortened animals  we  see  in  pictures  made  with  very 
short-focus  lenses  are  an  object-lesson  to  those  who 
think  there  is  too  much  fuss  made  about  lenses  and 
see  no  advantage  to  be  gained  by  using  a  lens  of  long 
focus.  As  regards  the  lighting  of  the  animal  there  is 
not  much  to  be  said  that  would  be  of  any  value. 
White  animals  look  best  when  the  light  is  on  the 
farther  side  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  animal  should  stand 
between  the  camera  and  the  source  of  light.  This 
applies  more  particularly  when  strong  sunlight  is 
used.  Dark-haired  animals  usually  require  to  be 
strongly  lighted.  The  distribution  of  the  light  and 
shade  means  so  much  in  the  picture  that  careful 
thought  should  be  given  to  the  subject.  Strong  sun- 
light is  frequently  a  thing  to  be  avoided,  notwith- 
standing the  beginner's  usual  idea  on  the  subject. 
A  really  bright  cloudy  day  is,  for  all-round  work, 
the  most  desirable.  Pictures  taken  under  such  con- 
ditions are  softer  and  more  full  of  detail. 

1  Double  printing  is  more  fully  explained  in  Chapter  I,  Part  II. 


84  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

PART  III 
PHOTOGRAPHING     DOMESTIC    ANIMALS 

HERE  we  have  a  most  delightful  and  thoroughly  sat- 
isfactory branch  of  work  ;  the  difficulties  are  not 
great  and  the  possibilities  almost  unlimited.  Here 
it  is  that  the  photographer  shows  whether  or  not  he 
is  an  artist.  Having  more  or  less  complete  control 
of  the  animal,  he  can  arrange  his  subject  so  that  the 
lighting  will  be  effective,  and  the  surroundings  are,  of 
course,  at  his  disposal.  All  domestic  animals  are  fit 
subjects  for  pictures,  from  the  fat  sow  and  her  litter 
of  pink  sucklings,  to  the  soft,  velvet-coated  Angora  cat. 
Whether  the  animal  is  the  entire  subject  of  the  pic- 
ture or  only  incidental,  he  is  an  equally  fit  object 
and  deserves  the  same  consideration.  Beautiful  pic- 
tures may  be  made  of  animals'  heads,  but,  curiously 
enough,  this  is  not  done  as  commonly  as  might  be 
expected.  A  fine  horse's  head  is  in  itself  a  splendid 
subject  for  a  picture;  the  same  may  be  said  of  a 
dog's  or  of  almost  any  animal's  head. 

All  that  has  been  said  about  lenses  applies  here, 
but  in  the  way  of  a  camera  it  is  perhaps  best  to 
have  both  a  focussing  hand-camera  and  one  of  large 
size  to  be  used  on  the  tripod  when  short-time  ex- 
posures are  possible.  There  is  every  advantage  to 
be  gained  by  using  isochromatic  plates  of  both  me- 


PHOTOGRAPHING  ANIMALS  85 

dium  and  great  rapidity  according  to  the  subject, 
though  for  animals  whose  colour  is  gray  or  any  neu- 
tral colour  ordinary  plates  will  answer.  For  dogs, 
horses,  or  other  animals  in  rapid  motion  the  focussing 
hand-camera  fitted  with  the  focal  planershutter  is 
indispensable.  Such  pictures  are,  however,  seldom 
beautiful,  even  though  they  may  be  interesting. 
The  rapid  action  of  an  animal  looks  grotesque  when 
caught  with  the  camera;  its  attitudes  never  appear 
to  be  natural  or  correct,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact 
the  positions  are  not  correct  as  our  eyes  see  them. 
We  see  rather  the  effect  of  movement  than  the  actual 
positions  assumed  by  the  different  parts  of  the  body. 
All  the  most  beautiful  animal  photographs  are  of 
animals  in  repose.  Such  pictures  have  been  given 
sufficient  exposure,  and  should  be  soft  and  delicate, 
lacking  the  strong,  hard  black-and-white  effect  of  the 
instantaneous  photograph. 


CHAPTER    IV 

PHOTOGRAPHING   REPTILES 

Outfit  required  is  the  same  as  for  animal  work. 

THE  idea  of  photographing  reptiles  does  not,  as  a 
rule,  appeal  very  strongly  to  us.  We  think  of  little 
that  is  beautiful  in  connection  with  this  order  of 
animal  life.  And  yet,  if  we  stop  for  a  moment  to  con- 
sider, we  will  find  that  not  only  do  the  reptiles  offer 
us  material  that  is  extremely  interesting,  but  many 
forms  are  really  beautiful.  Some  of  the  lizards,  for 
example,  or  the  snakes,  are  graceful  and  at  the  same 
time  beautifully  marked.  Even  the  frogs  are  no 
mean  subjects  for  the  camera;  very  effective  pictures 
can  be  made  with  them  if  the  surroundings  are  care- 
fully arranged.  When  photographing  a  frog  there 
are  many  ways  of  treating  the  subject :  in  the  water, 
such  as  a  shallow  pond,  on  land,  or,  what  is  most 
satisfactory,  in  an  aquarium.  The  latter  offers  the 
greatest  possibilities;  as  the  creature  is  unable  to  get 
away,  you  can  arrange  the  accessories  to  suit.  Moss- 
covered  stones,  grasses,  and  aquatic  plants  all  help  to 

86 


BULL  FROG  RESTING  AT  SURFACE  OF  WATER. 


BULL  FROG  STANDING  HALF  SUBMERGED  IN  WATER. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   REPTILES  87 

make  the  picture  beautiful  and  interesting.  Curi- 
ously enough,  a  photograph  of  water  taken  at  close 
range  does  not  give  the  effect  of  water.  A  piece  of 
glass  inclined  downward  toward  the  camera  does 
much  better.  It  may  be  placed  on  gravel  or  any- 
thing equally  suitable,  and  a  piece  of  sod  placed  so 
as  to  conceal  the  edge  will  give  a  perfect  effect  of 
water,  reflections  and  all. 

In  photographing  tadpoles  during  their  different 
stages  of  development,  they  should  be  put  in  an 
aquarium.  A  piece  of  glass  laid  horizontally  against 
the  front  glass  will  keep  them  from  the  bottom  and 
near  the  front.  With  full  sunlight  the  reflections 
from  the  glass  will  not  cause  trouble,  provided  the 
background  is  not  dark.  When  photographs  of  snakes 
are  wanted,  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  learn  to  handle 
them  without  fear.  With  the  harmless  varieties 
there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  be  afraid  of  them ; 
but  our  instinctive  dread  of  anything  snake-like  is  diffi- 
cult to  overcome.  Once  we  let  our  common  sense 
assert  itself,  it  will  be  found  by  no  means  difficult  to 
photograph  any  of  the  smaller  snakes.  A  snake  tak- 
ing a  sun-bath  will  usually  allow  us  to  approach  to 
within  a  few  feet  if  we  move  quietly  so  that  it  will 
not  be  frightened.  Of  the  reptiles  there  are  few 
more  exasperating  than  the  common  box-tortoise. 
He  will  shut  himself  up  in  his  house  and  positively 
refuse  to  be  seen  or  photographed.  I  have  spent 


88  NATURE   AND  THE   CAMERA 

hours  in  unsuccessful  attempts  to  secure  pictures  of 
these  exclusive  creatures.  Either  they  will  keep 
their  shell  tightly  shut,  or  else  they  will  be  too  active 
and  keep  on  the  go  with  such  vigour  that  a  good 
picture  is  almost  impossible. 

In  order  to  illustrate  some  of  nature's  wonderful 
methods  of  protection  by  means  of  colouring,  mark- 
ing,  and  form,  we  can  find  few  better  or  more  striking 
examples  than  some  of  even  the  common  varieties 
of  insects.  There  are  some  which  closely  imitate 
flowers,  leaves,  twigs,  bark,  or  grass,  while  others, 
such  as  some  of  the  grasshoppers  which  live  in  dusty 
or  sandy  places,  are  without  conspicuous  markings, 
and  of -a  colour  that  corresponds  almost  exactly  with 
their  surroundings.  In  a  drawing,  however  well  exe- 
cuted, we  always  have  a  feeling  of  doubt  as  to  its  ac- 
curacy, and  this  doubt  increases  in  proportion  to  the 
closeness  of  resemblance  between  the  insect  and  its 
surroundings.  It  is  therefore  to  the  camera  that  we 
must  look  for  a  truthful  and  convincing  picture  of 
these  extraordinary  examples  of  nature's  handiwork. 


GARTER  SNAKE. 


SNAPPING  TURTLES  FIGHTING. 


CHAPTER    V 

PHOTOGRAPHING    INSECTS 

Out  Jit  required. —  Long-focus  camera  (focussing  hand-camera  by  preference). 
Rapid  long-focus  lens  with  telephoto  attachment.  Rapid  ordinary  plates 
(occasionally  isochromatic  plates  are  necessary).  Tripod  and  other  ordinary 
appliances.  Microscope  with  photo-plate  attachment. 

THIS  is  a  most  fascinating  field  for  camera  work,  and 
a  field  that  is  not  very  often  entered.  The  many 
and  various  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  the  enormous 
range  and  diversity  of  subject,  the  intensely  interest- 
ing material  which  may  be  procured  with  so  little 
difficulty,  all  help  to  make  this  branch  of  photography 
of  the  greatest  possible  interest.  Not  only  are  there 
the  insects  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  but  also  the  vast 
throng  of  microscopic  life,  so  remarkable  in  its  in- 
finite variety  of  form. 

Beyond  the  few  pictures  of  butterflies  and  moths 
and  dragon-flies,  we  do  not  see  many  insect  pictures. 
Occasionally  a  spider  is  photographed.  But  yet  we 
may  say  that  insect  photography  is  in  its  infancy. 
The  camera  of  the  graflex  type  is  undoubtedly  the 
one  best  suited  to  this  kind  of  work,  even  though 

89 


(jo  NAiURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

frequently  a  tripod  will  be  found  necessary.  Any 
camera,  to  be  of  all-round  use,  must  be  arranged  so 
that  it  may  be  pointed  directly  downward  or  upward. 
A  picture  of  a  strider  that  I  once  used  was  made 
with  the  camera  pointing  almost  straight  down.  I 
had  been  asked  to  make  a  picture  that  would  show 
the  insect  and  his  peculiar  shadow.  After  trying 
many  times  and  without  success  to  secure  such  a 
picture  while  the  insects  were  in  a  small  stream,  I 
finally  had  to  catch  some  of  the  lively  little  creatures, 
and  put  them  in  a  white-lined  box  with  about  an 
inch  of  water.  In  this  way  it  was  easy  enough  to 
make  the  photographs  of  both  insect  and  shadow. 

Photographs  of  some  varieties  of  wasps  make  in- 
teresting pictures,  as  with  little  difficulty  they  may 
be  portrayed  while  at  work  building  their  mud  house 
or  delicate  hanging  comb.  These  are  but  suggestions 
of  the  endless  subjects  possible  in  insect  photography. 
To  go  into  the  subject  at  all  thoroughly  would  entail 
writing  a  book  on  entomology,  and  the  writer  has 
neither  the  ability  nor  the  desire  to  attempt  such  a 
work. 


MOTH    UNFOLDING  ITS  WINGS  AFTER   LEAVING  COCOON. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH   AND   OTHER   AQUATIC   LIFE 

PART   I 

THE    AQUARIUM    AND    OUTFIT 

Outfit  required. — Long-focus  camera.  Rapid  lens.  Plate-holders.  Fo- 
cussing-cloth. Instantaneous  isochromatic  plates.  Aquarium  —  two 
wooden  horses  ;  two  boards  about  seven  feet  long  ;  bucket  ;  rubber 
tube ;  sponge ;  cloth  (for  polishing  glass)  ;  scrub-brush ;  claw-shaped 
tongs  ;  small  landing-net. 

UNTIL  quite  recently  fish  photography  was  almost 
untrodden  ground.  Few  had  attempted  it,  and  fewer 
still  had  succeeded.  The  new  interest  in  natural- 
history  subjects,  with  its  absolute  demand  for  "photo- 
graphs from  life,"  has  led,  after  touching  on  almost 
every  other  branch  of  work,  to  the  photographing 
of  fish,  and  almost  every  month  we  hear  of  some 
person  taking  it  up.  Though  not  so  interesting  as 
bird  and  animal  work,  it  has,  nevertheless,  many  points 
of  interest,  and,  like  all  other  nature  photography,  it 
teaches  us  a  great  deal  that  hitherto  has  never  even 
been  thought  of. 

91 


92     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

The  first  thing  to  do  before  undertaking  fish  pho- 
tography is  to  prepare  a  special  and  somewhat  elab- 
orate outfit.  Besides  the  camera,  lens,  etc.,  there 
must  be  a  suitable  aquarium,  and  this  will  have  to  be 
made  to  order.  When  having  it  constructed,  con- 
sider first  of  all  what  will  be  the  length  of  the  largest 
fish  you  intend  to  photograph,  and  have  your  aqua- 
rium at  least  four  inches  longer.  It  is  not  advisable  to 
attempt  fish  longer  than  twenty-eight  inches  (except 
such  as  the  garpike  or  other  slender  fish),  as  they  are 
very  difficult  to  handle.  The  aquarium  may  be  of 
the  portable  type,  though  this  has  no  particular 
advantage  and  is  seldom  water-tight.  It  is  better, 
therefore,  to  build  one  strongly,  so  that  it  will  not 
break  apart  or  leak.  Then  it  can  be  packed  ready 
for  shipping  by  screwing  a  heavy  board  over  the 
glass  and  top. 

Good  quality  of  clear  white  pine  is  about  the 
most  satisfactory  wood  to  use.  It  should  not  be  less 
than  seven  eighths  of  an  inch  thick  except  for  a  very 
small  aquarium,  when  half  an  inch  would  do.  The 
best  way  to  insure  its  being  water-tight,  notwith- 
standing what  the  carpenters  will  tell  you  to  the 
contrary,  is  to  cut  a  shallow  groove,  B  (Fig.  i), 
along  the  parts  that  come  in  contact.  In  this  groove 
lay  rubber  tubing,  which  may  or  may  not  be  sealed 
at  either  end.  When  the  parts  are  drawn  together 
by  means  of  long  screws  (brass  by  preference)  the 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH 


93 


rubber  will  come  in  contact  so  tightly  that  leakage 
will  be  impossible.      The  wood  should  be  thoroughly 
shellacked     be- 
fore   being    put 
together. 

The     glass      Ci 
must  be  of  the 
best  white  plate, 


Fig.  i. 


free  from  bub- 
bles and  imper- 
fections. The  thickness  of  it  depends  on  the  size  of 
the  aquarium  ;  one  twenty-six  inches  in  length  would 
require  the  glass  to  be  quite  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick. 
If  no  plate-glass  is  obtainable,  a  mirror  can  be 
cleaned,  and,  if  a  good  one,  will  be  found  to  answer 
perfectly. 

The  method  of  fastening  in  the  glass  is  shown  in 
this  diagram.  The  rubber  tube  A  (Fig.  i)  is  laid 
in  the  groove  and  the  glass  pressed  tightly  against  it 
by  a  batten  of  strong  wood  such  as  oak ;  this,  when 
screwed  in  place,  will  hold  the  glass.  The  batten 
should  be  bevelled,  as  shown  in  the  diagram  C 
(Fig.  i),  in  order  to  prevent  its  being  reflected  in 
the  glass.  On  the  upper  side  of  the  glass  no  batten  is 
needed  unless  the  tank  is  very  large.  The  batten  has 
the  disadvantage  of  casting  a  shadow,  which  shadow 
usually  falls  on  the  fish.  Heavy  copper  wire  tightly 
twisted  and  attached  to  two  strong  screw-eyes  will 


94 


NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 


hold  the  sides  together.  The  wire  may  be  removed 
and  a  batten  substituted  when  the  aquarium  is  to  be 
packed.  When  the  tank  is  made  it  should  be 
smoothly  lined  with  white  oilcloth.  This  is  easily 
cleaned,  and  its  bright  surface  reflects  the  light  and 
therefore  prevents  heavy  black  shadows. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  when  a  fish  is  placed  in  the 
aquarium,  after  stirring  up  any  accessories  that  may 
have  been  arranged,  he  immediately  retires  to  the 

farthermost  cor- 
ner, out  of  reach 
of  the  camera. 
To  prevent  this 
his  range  must 
be  restricted,  and 
the  best  way  to  do 
this  is  by  placing 
a  sheet  of  glass  in 
the  grooves  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  The  smaller  the  fish 
the  nearer  to  the  front  must  this  glass  fence  be  put. 
With  large  fish  it  is  not  safe  to  restrict  their  move- 
ments too  much.  It  makes  them  very  restless  and 
frequently  results  in  their  breaking  the  glass  or  killing 
themselves.  The  glass  partition  serves  also  to  prevent 
the  fish  disturbing  the  aquatic  vegetation  which  adds 
so  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  picture.  This  subject 
will  be  more  fully  dealt  with  later  on.  It  is  not 
advisable  to  allow  the  partition  to  rest  on  the  bottom, 


Fig.  a. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  95 

as  by  so  doing  it  interferes  with  the  circulation  of 
the  water.  A  small  block  placed  inside  the  grooves 
at  the  lower  end  will  prevent  this. 

An  extra  bottom  board  covered  with  white  oil- 
cloth will  be  found  useful  when  photographing  fish 
that  stay  on  the  bottom.  This  board  should  have 
an  arrangement  by  which  it  can  be  tilted  so  that  the 
end  farthest  from  the  glass  may  be  elevated. 

Handles  at  either  end  of  the  aquarium  are  useful, 
but  they  should  not  be  used  when  it  is  full  of  water; 
the  strain  is  too  great,  and  is  likely  to  cause  leakage. 
So  much  for  the  aquarium.  Now  we  come  to  its 
support,  and  for  this  I  can  recommend  nothing  more 
simple  or  more  efficient  than  a  pair  of  wooden  horses, 
upon  which  two  long  thick  boards  should  be  placed. 
The  length  of  these  boards  must  depend  on  the  focal 
length  of  the  lens  that  is  used.  The  camera  placed  on 
these  boards,  as 
shown  in  the  ac- 
companying dia- 
gram (Fig.  3), 
may  be  moved 
back  and  forth  at 
will.  It  is  sel- 
dom necessary  to 

.        .  Fig-  3- 

raise  it  more  than 

a  couple  of  inches,  and  this  may  be  done   by   using 

one  or  more  thicknesses  of  board  beneath  the  camera. 


96     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

I  have  never  found  that  the  camera  needed  to  be 
secured,  its  own  weight  being  sufficient  to  hold  it  in 
place.  If  desired,  an  arrangement  could  be  easily 
devised  by  which  it  would  be  secured  to  its  support. 

With  regard  to  the  lens  used  in  fish  photography, 
the  more  rapid  it  is  the  better  will  be  the  results. 
There  is  no  particular  advantage  in  its  having  very 
great  focal  length.  About  nine  and  a  half  inches 
for  a  six  and  a  half  by  eight  and  a  half  lens  is  suffi- 
cient. The  type  of  shutter  that  will  be  found  most 
satisfactory  is  the  focal  plane  ;  not  the  drop-shutter 
in  front  of  lens,  but  the  kind  that  is  set  close  to  the 
plate.  This  gives  the  maximum  illumination  with 
the  shortest  possible  exposure,  such  as  is  made  neces- 
sary by  the  rapid  movement  of  fish.  With  fish,  such 
as  the  salmon  family,  the  bluefish,  and  the  runners, 
jacks  and  pompano,  only  the  most  rapid  shutter  can 
be  used  with  success.  Another  advantage  in  having 
the  shutter  concealed  is  that  fish  frequently  splash 
the  water,  and  lens-shutters,  such  as  the  diaphragm 
pattern,  are  rendered  useless  by  salt  water. 

In  the  list  of  material  required  for  this  work  will 
be  found  instantaneous  isochromatic  plates.  Under 
ordinary  conditions  these  plates  are  perhaps  not  quite 
so  rapid  as  the  regular  plates,  but  with  the  greenish 
or  yellowish  tinge  of  the  glass  and  water,  and  the 
greens,  yellows,  and  reds  of  the  aquatic  vegetation,  it 
will  be  noticed  that  most  of  the  colours  are  those 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  .  97 

which  most  easily  affect,  the  isochromatic  film. 
Therefore  in  fish  photography  they  will  be  found 
not  only  as  quick  as  the  ordinary  extra-rapid  plate, 
but,  owing  to  their  sensitiveness  to  the  colours  just 
mentioned,  will  yield  a  more  perfectly  exposed  nega- 
tive. Their  value  will  be  most  noticeable  when  the 
fish  to  be  photographed  is  strongly  coloured,  where 
bright  yellow,  red,  and  dark  green  may  be  side  by 
side.  The  ordinary  plate  would  show  only  a  slight 
difference  of  tone  between  the  yellow  and  red,  and 
perhaps  none  at  all  between  the  red  and  green,  while 
the  instantaneous  isochromatic  would  show  a  decided 
difference  in  the  three  colours.  Not  giving  the  red 
its  full  value,  of  course,  because  that  can  only  be 
obtained  by  using  the  slow  isochromatic  or  by  the 
addition  of  a  ray-filter.  It  is  a  rare  thing,  however, 
to  find  a  fish  that  will  remain  quiet  enough  to  allow 
of  these  being  used. 

PART  II 

ACCESSORIES    AND    THEIR    PREPARATION 

To  any  one  who  has  not  attempted  fish  photography 
it  would  seem  an  absolutely  easy  matter  to  beautify 
the  aquarium  by  adding  vegetation  and  stones  as  a 
background  for  the  fish.  That  is  exactly  what  I 
thought  when  I  first  began  aquatic  photography,  but 
it  did  not  take  me  very  long  to  discover  how  mis- 


98  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

taken  were  my  ideas  on  the  subject.  Absolute  clear- 
ness of  water  is  highly  desirable,  but  almost  impos- 
sible to  obtain.  After  straining  the  water  so  that  it 
is  clear  enough  for  ordinary  work  in  a  good  light, 
take  an  apparently  clean  stone,  not  a  smooth  marble 
of  course,  but  an  ordinary,  moderately  rough  stone, 
drop  it  into  the  aquarium,  and  watch  the  result. 
The  water  will  be  seen  to  be  rilled  with  a  muddy 
substance,  and  instead  of  crystal-like  clearness  we 
have  a  murky-looking  water  that  is  most  undesirable. 
But  your  troubles  have  only  just  commenced.  Add 
some  fresh  green  aquatic  plants,  and  you  will  notice 
that  they  too  give  off  scum  and  muddy  material, 
even  though  they  may  have  been  placed  in  the  water 
with  the  greatest  of  care.  Now  when  the  fish  runs 
amuck  through  these  beautiful  plants,  and  really  dis- 
turbs the  mud  and  scum,  the  water  has  lost  all  its 
clearness,  so  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  photo- 
graph a  fish  through  it.  With  tropical  aquatic  vege- 
tation the  difficulty  is  even  greater  than  with  our 
more  simple  northern  plants. 

The  beautiful  "sea-feathers"  that  one  sees  waving 
about  with  every  movement  of  the  water  in  the 
tropical  seas  appear  to  be  a  clear,  clean  yellow  or 
purple ;  but  on  putting  them  into  the  aquarium  they 
will  be  found  to  discolour  the  water  immediately. 
"Sea-caps"  are  even  worse,  and  sponges  cause  so 
much  trouble  that  after  a  few  discouraging  attempts 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  99 

one  gives  up  the  idea  of  using  them.  What,  you 
may  ask,  is  the  remedy  for  these  difficulties?  The 
only  thing  I  have  found  to  answer  at  all  is  to  thor- 
oughly clean  every  leaf  by  washing  it  with  a  soft 
cloth.  It  is  a  task  requiring  great  patience  ;  but  once 
the  plant  is  really  clean  it  will  remain  so  for  several 
days,  requiring  only  to  be  well  rinsed  in  clear  water 
each  time  it  is  used.  Betweenwhiles  it  is,  of  course, 
kept  in  clean  water,  which  should  be  as  near  as  pos- 
sible the  temperature  to  which  the  plant  is  accus- 
tomed. Over-warm  water  will  cause  the  plant  to 
lose  its  colour  and  become  covered  with  scum. 
Never  put  any  plant  or  stone,  or  in  fact  any  acces- 
sory, into  the  aquarium  until  you  have  ascertained 
that  it  is  free  from  scum  and  other  foreign  matter. 
Stones,  especially  those  that  are  rough  and  honey- 
combed, require  to  be  scrubbed  with  a  hard  brush 
and  sand  until  they  are  perfectly  clean.  Sand,  if  it 
is  necessary  to  use  it,  may  be  cleaned  by  throwing  a 
little  at  a  time  into  a  bucketful  of  water.  The  part 
that  does  not  immediately  sink  should  be  emptied 
out.  This  must  be  repeated  until  only  the  clean, 
heavy  sand  remains.  But  even  this  should  not  be 
used  unless  you  have  a  very  quiet  fish  to  photograph. 
A  restless  fish  will  disturb  the  sand,  which  in  sinking 
will  fall  on  the  fish  ;  so  that  if  he  remains  still  enough 
to  be  photographed,  he  will  be  covered  with  a  fine 
deposit  of  sand,  and,  needless  to  say,  this  will  entirely 


ioo  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

spoil  the  picture.  Occasionally  one  finds  a  fish  so 
well  behaved  that  he  will  allow  the  deposit  to  be 
swept  off,  staying  quiet  the  meanwhile.  Such  fish 
are  very  rare.  A  piece  of  white  coral  looks  so  clean 
that  one  is  tempted  to  place  it  in  the  water  with- 
out previous  washing,  and  too  late  we  discover  our 
mistake. 

Many  of  the  aquatic  plants  are  so  light  that  they 
float,  thereby  causing  great  annoyance.  Especially  is 
this  true  of  the  grasses.  Heavy  split  shot  attached 
to  the  ends  is  a  good  preventative,  but  these  must 
be  carefully  tied  if  the  plant  is  brittle,  as  most  of 
them  are.  Another  plan  which  can  be  used  to  good 
effect  with  grasses  is  to  take  a  thin  strip  of  sheet- 
lead  and  attach  the  grass  along  this  at  intervals.  It 
saves  much  time  in  the  end  if,  before  placing  the 
fish  in  the  aquarium,  all  the  accessories  are  carefully 
arranged  and  secured. 

In  selecting  the  surroundings  to  be  used,  some- 
thing should  be  known  of  the  habits  of  the  fish. 
For  instance,  trout  require  stones  or  rocks,  with  a 
little  light  vegetation,  such  as  grass.  Yellow  perch 
need  only  plants.  The  bluefish  should  have  no  ac- 
cessories, while  the  angel-  and  parrot-fish  look  more 
natural  if  placed  among  weed-covered  rocks  and  a 
luxuriant  growth  of  plant  life.  Any  fish  that  lives 
on  a  muddy  bottom  should  either  be  photographed 
on  the  white  oilcloth  or  on  sand.  But  don't  be 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  101 

tempted  to  use  mud,  unless  you  are  fortunate  enough 
to  find  a  clay  that  packs  tightly  and  is  not  easily 
disturbed. 

Surface  fish  should  always  be  shown  near  the  sur- 
face, for  it  adds  so  much  to  the  interest  and  even  the 
value  of  a  photograph  if  the  fish  is  seen  in  sur- 
roundings that  are  natural.  In  arranging  the  plants 
and  rocks  (the  tongs  mentioned  in  the  outfit  will 
be  found  most  useful  in  doing  this),  place  most 
of  them  between  the  glass  partition  and  the  back 
of  the  aquarium.  In  this  way  they  will  not  be 
disturbed  by  the  movements  of  the  fish.  A  fish  that 
becomes  excited  will  disarrange  everything  in  a  very 
short  time.  It  is  therefore  better  to  have  only  a  few 
plants  between  the  glasses. 

One  of  the  great  difficulties  met  with  in  fish  pho- 
tography is  the  moisture  which  condenses  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  glass.  When  cold  water  is  used  and  the 
day  is  hot,  the  glass  must  be  wiped  and  polished 
every  minute  or  two;  for  it  is  as  well  to  remember 
that  unless  the  glass  is  absolutely  clean  and  dry  a  good 
photograph  cannot  be  made.  The  slightest  mark 
on  the  surface  of  the  glass  shows  with  a  distinctness 
that  is  very  discouraging,  while  the  presence  of  a 
little  moisture  makes  everything  behind  it  blurred 
and  ill-defined,  just  as  though  it  were  entirely  out  of 
focus.  It  will  be  seen  by  this  that  too  much  care 
cannot  be  taken  in  keeping  the  glass  in  proper  con- 


102  NATURE  AND   THE   CAMERA 

dition,  and  in  order  to  do  this  avoid  using  any  cloth 
that  leaves  lint. 

The  water-supply  is  an  important  factor  in  fish 
work.  Not  only  must  the  water  be  constantly  re- 
newed, but  it  should  be  kept  at  the  correct  tempera- 
ture. Few  fish  will  live  long  in  water  that  varies 
more  than  six  degrees  from  that  to  which  they  are 
accustomed.  If  the  change  is  very  gradual  they  do 
not  appear  to  feel  it  so  much,  but  a  sudden  change 
is  usually  fatal.  If  trout  are  to  be  photographed,  it 
is  nearly  always  necessary  to  use  ice,  as  the  tempera- 
ture should  be  about  42°  or  46°  Fahrenheit. 

It  is  well  to  keep  a  thermometer  in  the  part  of 
the  aquarium  where  the  fish  is.  With  some  fish  this 
is  not  needed,  but  with  delicate  cold-water  fish  it  is 
an  absolute  necessity. 

The  easiest  way  to  keep  water  constantly  fresh  is 
to  place  a  pail  of  fresh  water  either  on  the  back 
upper  corner  of  the  aquarium  or  on  a  convenient 
place  near  by.  A  small  rubber  tube  used  as  a  syphon 
will  allow  a  steady  stream  to  flow  from  the  pail, 
while  another  rubber  tube  placed  in  the  aquarium, 
with  the  end  hanging  out  over  the  edge,  will  syphon 
out  an  equal  amount.  In  this  way  the  supply  will 
be  constantly  changing;  but  even  so  it  is  advisable 
occasionally  to  aerate  the  water  by  pouring  some  in 
from  a  dipper  held  several  feet  above  the  surface. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  103 

PART   III 

HANDLING    AND    PHOTOGRAPHING    THE    FISH 

FISH,  having  nothing  in  common  with  us,  as  have 
the  birds  and  animals,  are  difficult  to  handle  because 
we  do  not  understand  them  and  their  ways,  for  we 
have  no  standard  by  which  to  judge  them.  They 
do  not  as  a  rule  appear  to  be  easily  frightened,  nor 
indeed  do  they  pay  much  attention  to  things  about 
them.  Strong  light  and  the  restriction  of  their  range 
affect  them  more  than  anything  else.  Some  vari- 
eties do  not  even  object  to  being  handled,  while 
others  will  not  allow  themselves  to  be  touched. 
Evidently  fish  have  individuality,  and  this  individuality 
applies  not  only  to  species,  but  to  different  fish  of  the 
same  kind.  As  a  rule  we  find  the  chub,  carp,  and 
tench  are  dull  and  slow  and  therefore  easily  photo- 
graphed, while  trout,  salmon,  and  black-bass  are 
nervous  and  difficult  to  handle.  But  occasionally  a 
quiet,  well-disposed  trout  or  bass  is  found;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  we  sometimes  find  an  individual 
trout  or  carp  or  tench  so  nervous  and  wild  that  it 
cannot  be  used.  I  mention  this  because  I  may  allude 
to  certain  fish  as  being  difficult  to  handle,  when  the 
reader  attempting  to  photograph  the  same  species  may 
experience  not  the  slightest  difficulty. 

If  the  fish  to  be  photographed  is  a  common  one, 


104  NATURE   AND   THE  CAMERA 

do  not  waste  time  and  patience  with  a  wild  individ- 
ual ;  rather  let  it  go,  and  try  your  luck  with  another 
and  perhaps  tamer  one.  In  the  end  you  will  not 
only  save  time  by  so  doing,  but  you  will  secure  a 
better  and  more  satisfactory  photograph.  Of  course 
it  is  understood  that  the  aquarium  must  be  placed  in 
a  strong  light.  The  better  the  light  the  better  will 
be  the  picture.  On  the  end  of  a  wharf  is  the  best 
possible  place,  for  there,  while  having  the  benefit  of 
uninterrupted  sunshine,  you  have  water  convenient, 
and  —  what  is  not  to  be  despised  —  the  advantage  of 
any  cool  breezes  that  may  happen  to  blow.  It  also 
allows  you  to  keep  the  fish  that  you  are  not  actually 
using  in  a  live-car  (a  perforated  box  placed  in  the 
water),  which  should  be  kept  in  the  shade.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  have  a  small  canopy  of  some  sort  that 
will  shade  the  camera  and  plate-holders.  This  will 
save  many  plates  from  fogging. 

Now  that  everything  is  in  readiness,  the  aquarium 
filled  with  clear  water,  and  a  suitable  background 
arranged,  we  will  commence  fish  photography.  Sup- 
posing the  fish  is  in  the  live-car,  a  small  landing-net 
will  remove  it  to  the  aquarium.  Be  careful  in  doing 
so  not  to  injure  the  scales  against  the  edge  of  the  glass. 
In  some  cases  it  is  better  to  take  the  fish  in  both 
hands,  holding  it  firmly  but  not  too  tight,  and  place 
it  carefully  in  the  water  between  the  two  glasses. 
At  first  probably  the  fish  will  swim  rapidly  from  end 


PHOTOGRAPHING  FISH  105 

to  end  in  its  efforts  to  escape,  but  after  a  few  min- 
utes of  useless  excitement  it  will  usually  calm  down 
and  lie  on  the  bottom.  Now  is  your  time  to  focus 
and  arrange  your  camera.  We  will  say  the  fish  is 
twelve  inches  long  and  the  aquarium  thirty  inches 
long.  It  is  obvious  that  if  a  fairly  large  image  of 
the  fish  is  wanted,  only  a  part  of  the  aquarium,  per- 
haps eighteen  inches,  will  be  covered  by  the  plate. 
To  avoid  a  lot  of  unnecessary  trouble  and  an  extra 
chance  of  failure,  place  two  marks  (small  pieces  of  wet 
paper  will  answer,  don't  use  paste  or  mucilage)  on  the 
glass  at  the  extreme  edges  of  the  part  covered  by  the 
plate.  This  much  done,  set  your  shutter  according  to 
the  exposure  to  be  given,  and  then  coax  the  fish  away 
from  the  bottom.  This  may  be  done  either  by 
means  of  a  stick  or  with  the  hand.  It  usually 
requires  a  great  deal  of  patience  and  not  a  little  time 
before  the  fish  can  be  induced  to  go  just  where  one 
wishes,  but  as  so  much  depends  on  its  being  well 
posed,  it  is  better  not  to  be  in  too  great  a  hurry. 
When  focussing  on  the  fish  be  sure  to  look  down  on 
it  through  the  water,  otherwise  you  cannot  tell  how 
far  it  is  from  the  front  glass.  In  the  same  way, 
before  you  release  the  shutter  be  sure  the  fish  is  at 
the  same  distance  from  the  glass  as  it  was  when  you 
toeussed  the  camera.  In  ease  you  eannot  iiuiuee  the 
fish  to  remain  clear  of  the  bottom,  there  are  two 
things  to  be  done :  one  is  to  raise  it  with  your  hand 


io6  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

(holding  the  bulb  of  the  shutter  in  the  other  hand) 
and  make  the  exposure  immediately  after  releasing 
the  fish,  when  the  hand  must,  of  course,  be  instantly 
withdrawn.  In  this  way  I  have  often  succeeded  in 
making  photographs  that  I  could  not  otherwise  have 
made.  This  method,  needless  to  say,  requires  a  very 
short  exposure,  as  the  fish  is  in  motion,  whether  it 
sinks  rapidly  to  the  bottom  or  swims. 

The  other  way  is  to  place  a  stone  on  the  bottom 
so  that  a  point  of  it  will  be  up  several  inches.  Then 
gradually  and  slowly  move  the  fish  with  a  stick  until 
it  rests  on  the  edge  of  this  stone.  When  exactly  in 
the  right  position  (the  head  should  be  slightly  below 
the  level  of  the  tail)  make  the  exposure,  which  need 
not  be  so  very  short,  as  the  movement  of  the  fish 
would  not,  in  all  probability,  be  nearly  so  rapid  as  when 
actually  swimming  or  sinking.  Only  a  small  part  of 
the  stone  should  come  in  contact  with  the  fish.  An 
important  thing  to  remember  is  that  the  dorsal  fin 
be  elevated  ;  not  only  is  this  desirable  for  the  identi- 
fication of  the  fish,  but  it  adds  greatly  to  its  beauty. 
With  the  dorsal  fin  down  the  fish  lacks  the  appear- 
ance of  being  alive. 

While  it  is  quite  possible  to  keep  track  of  unde- 
veloped plates  so  that  you  know  what  each  one  is 
when  developed,  I  would  advise  as  the  safest  and 
easiest  method  that  a  white  label,  bearing  the  name 
of  the  fish  in  heavy  black  letters,  be  placed  on  the 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  107 

glass  so  that  it  comes  on  the  extreme  edge  of  the 
plate.  Then,  when  the  photograph  of  the  fish  is 
made  you  have  the  name  on  the  negative.  This 
prevents  any  possibility  of  error.  The  paper  label,  if 
wet,  will  adhere  to  the  glass,  and  may  be  removed 
without  any  difficulty. 

In  photographing  fish  that  are  habitually  found  in 
swiftly  running  water,  some  device  might  with  advan- 
tage be  used  in  order  to  keep  the  vegetation  bending 
over,  all  in  one  direction  of  course,  thus  giving  the 
effect  of  a  current.  This  may  be  accomplished  by 
attaching  a  very  fine  thread  to  each  plant,  that  they 
may  be  drawn  over  to  the  proper  angle.  This  is 
rather  a  "  fake  "  way  of  doing  it,  and  not  altogether 
satisfactory.  A  more  elaborate  method  would  be  to 
have  several  large  openings  at  one  end  of  the  aqua- 
rium through  which  the  water  would  run  freely, 
while  on  the  other  side  an  equal  quantity  of  water 
would  have  to  be  admitted.  Though  I  have  never 
tried  this,  I  believe  it  would  give  a  good  effect  of 
swiftly  running  water,  which  would  not  only  keep 
the  plants  in  the  desired  position,  but  would  force 
the  fish  to  assume  a  natural  and  lively  attitude,  as 
though  it  were  in  a  brook.  The  rapid  movement 
of  the  fins  would,  of  course,  necessitate  a  very  short 
exposure. 

With  surface  fish  it  is  a   good  plan  to  have  the 
water  several  inches  above  the  partition  glass  ;  then,  at 


io8     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

the  moment  when  about  to  make  the  exposure,  dis- 
turb the  water's  surface  with  your  unemployed  hand. 
It  is  surprising  what  a  good  effect  is  produced  by  this 
trick. 

A  peculiarity  that  is  most  noticeable  among  the 
highly  coloured  tropical  fish  is  the  power  that  they 
have  of  changing  their  colour  and  their  markings. 
Take,  for  example,  some  of  the  porgies,  that  large 
family  of  fish  so  abundant  around  Key  West.  The 
same  fish  might  be  photographed  ten  times  in  as 
many  minutes,  and  no  two  photographs  look  like 
the  same  species.  The  fish  is  beautifully  marked 
with  vertical  bars,  pink,  blue,  yellow,  green,  and 
brown  being  the  prevailing  colours;  and  yet  one  pho- 
tograph will  show  a  plain  silver-coloured  fish,  abso- 
lutely lacking  in  marks  of  any  kind,  another  will 
show  faint  irregular  blotches,  another  slight  indica- 
tions of  bars,  and  yet  another  will  show  the  fish  in 
all  the  glory  of  its  full  markings.  The  yellow-fin 
grouper,  still  more  pronounced  in  the  pattern  of 
its  markings,  though  scarcely  so  brilliant  in  colour, 
will  change  in  an  instant  from  a  pale,  sickly  yellow 
with  the  markings  only  just  discernible  to  a  rich 
green  with  markings  of  very  dark  brown  and  bright 
red.  Whether  these  changes  are  voluntary  or  not  is 
scarcely  known,  and  anyhow  this  is  not  the  place  to 
discuss  that  interesting  question  ;  but  the  surroundings 
will  usually  be  found  to  have  some  effect  on  the  colour 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  109 

of  a  fish,  even  in  an  aquarium.  Yet  the  effect  pro- 
duced by  surroundings  of  a  certain  colour  is  by  no 
means  invariable.  As  a  rule,  however,  when  a 
brightly  coloured  fish  is  placed  in  an  aquarium 
which  is  lined  with  white,  and  has  no  other  colour, 
the  fish  will  not  don  his  finest  colours;  he  remains, 
instead,  pale  and  almost  transparent,  so  as  to  blend  in 
more  or  less  with  the  immediate  surroundings.  A 
few  stones  added  will  sometimes  cause  a  fish  to 
resume  part  of  his  colouring;  but  when  a  quantity  of 
rich  vegetation  is  introduced,  he  will  usually  show 
himself  off  in  his  very  best  markings,  perhaps  only 
for  a  few  seconds  at  a  time,  but  more  often  for  sev- 
eral minutes  together. 

This  colour-changing  is  one  of  the  most  exasperat- 
ing difficulties  to  overcome.  We  have  so  little  control 
over  it,  and,  according  to  the  perverseness  of  things, 
it  almost  always  happens  that  when  a  fish  assumes 
exactly  the  attitude  one  wishes,  it  loses  its  colouring 
at  the  same  moment.  It  is  quite  needless  to  say  that 
an  unlimited  supply  of  patience  is  almost  as  neces- 
sary as  the  camera  itself  if  we  wish  to  have  any  suc- 
cess. I  remember,  when  I  began  photographing  the 
fish  of  Key  West,  having  a  red  nigger-fish  brought 
to  me.  It  was  of  a  beautiful  delicate  coral  red,  with 
tiny  specks  all  over  its  head  and  body.  I  immedi- 
ately placed  it  in  the  aquarium,  and,  after  the  usual 
amount  of  trouble,  succeeded  in  making  two  expo- 


no     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

sures  which  showed  the  fish  in  good  positions. 
These,  when  developed,  proved  to  be  first-rate  nega- 
tives, and  I  was  quite  satisfied  until,  about  a  week 
later,  I  procured  another  of  the  same  species.  Shortly 
after  it  had  been  placed  in  the  aquarium,  and  I  had 
commenced  making  a  water-colour  drawing  of  it,  I 
was  much  surprised  to  see  it  suddenly  change  colour ; 
dark  purplish-brown  markings  in  the  form  of  irreg- 
ular broad  bars  had  come,  changing  and  at  the  same 
time  adding  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  fish.  I  only 
tell  this  to  show  how  much  depends  on  knowing 
what  to  expect  from  a  fish  in  the  way  of  colour.  Do 
not  photograph  a  fish  until  you  know  what  it  should 
look  like  when  it  is  at  its  best;  otherwise  the  photo- 
graph, though  true  to  life,  will  be  misleading. 

This  colour-changing  is  not,  so  far  as  I  know, 
noticeable  with  fresh-water  fishes.  At  least,  none  that 
I  have  photographed  has  shown  it  except  to  a  very 
limited  degree.  Nor  is  it  to  be  found  among  the 
light-coloured  surface  fish,  such  as  the  mullet,  mack- 
erel, pompano,  and  jacks.  These,  having  colours  that 
are  more  or  less  transparent  and  iridescent,  of  blue, 
green,  and  silver,  colours  which  render  the  fish  incon- 
spicuous, do  not  need  the  variety  of  colours  and  mark- 
ings by  which  the  bottom  fish  are  protected.  These 
bottom  fish,  whose  home  is  among  the  brilliantly  col- 
oured vegetation,  require  colours  as  bright  as  their  sur- 
roundings, that  they  may  not  be  easily  discovered  by 


A 


J 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  111 

their  innumerable  enemies.  It  seems  very  difficult 
for  us  to  realise  that  the  wonderful  colouring  of  the 
various  kinds  of  angel-fish  should  be  a  means  of  pro- 
tection, but  that  such  is  the  case  is  scarcely  to  be 
doubted. 

When  photographing  any  fish  that  "jumps"  it  will 
be  found  necessary  to  place  either  a  piece  of  glass  or 
wet  cheese-cloth  (wet  because  it  is  more  transparent) 
on  the  top  of  the  aquarium ;  otherwise  they  will  leap 
out,  even  though  the  sides  are  several  inches  above 
the  surface  of  the  water. 

In  arranging  the  backgrounds  for  fish,  their  beauty 
may  be  greatly  enhanced  and  additional  interest  be 
given  by  using  such  examples  of  sea  life  as  would 
be  found  with  the  fish  if  it  were  in  its  natural  home. 
Sea-anemones,  crabs,  urchins,  and  any  of  the  various 
shell-fish  add  life  and  value  to  the  picture.  But  do 
not  use  any  kind  that  give  off  coloured  liquids,  such 
as  the  squids,  sea-pigeons,  etc. 

In  handling  fish  of  any  kind,  more  particularly  the 
catfish  and  some  of  the  salt-water  species,  it  is  advis- 
able to  guard  against  being  cut  by  the  sharp  spines 
of  the  fins.  The  Key  West  fishermen  tell  of  all 
manner  of  diseases  that  come  from  such  cuts.  Such 
stories  are  gross  exaggerations,  but  it  is  nevertheless 
true  that  the  wound  caused  by  a  fish's  fin  is  fre- 
quently poisoned  and  proves  very  troublesome.  Any 
one  unused  to  handling  fish  will  find  it  difficult  to 


112  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

avoid  being  cut.  Therefore  I  advise  watching  how 
the  fishermen  do  it.  By  so  doing  and  by  following 
their  method  much  unnecessary  inconvenience  and 
pain  may  be  avoided. 

Should  you  ever  be  tempted  to  photograph  the 
Portuguese  man-of-war  (Physalia  arethusa},  be  most 
careful  how  you  handle  them.  Do  not  let  the  ten- 
tacles come  in  contact  with  your  skin  unless  you 
wish  to  enjoy  the  sensation  of  being  stung  by  an  in- 
finite number  of  nettles.  In  photographing  these 
interesting  and  beautiful  creatures,  some  difficulty 
will  be  experienced.  They  are  so  light  in  colour, 
resembling  as  they  do  a  very  brightly  coloured  soap- 
bubble,  that  a  white  background  is  not  desirable, 
while  a  dark  one  has  the  disadvantage  of  caus- 
ing the  glass  to  reflect  the  camera  and  everything 
else  about  it.  Another  difficulty  is  with  the  creature 
itself,  which  insists  on  coming  in  contact  with  the 
glass  (this  is  probably  due  to  capillary  attraction) 
and  when  removed  leaves  a  jelly-like  scum  on 
the  surface  of  the  glass.  This,  needless  to  say,  must 
be  cleaned  off  before  the  photograph  can  be  made. 
I  would  suggest  that  a  very  thin  piece  of  white  silk, 
or  other  almost  transparent  material,  be  fastened 
tightly  across  the  length  of  the  aquarium  at  a  dis- 
tance of  two  or  three  inches  from  the  front  glass; 
this  would,  I  think,  keep  the  creature  away  from  the 
glass  without  causing  it  to  alter  its  form.  In  photo- 


PHOTOGRAPHING   FISH  113 

graphing  any  of  the  jellyfish  or  other  floating  forms 
of  animal  life,  the  same  thing  could  be  done  to  pre- 
vent their  coming  in  contact  with  the  glass. 

Any  of  the  lower  forms  of  aquatic  animal  life 
may  be  more  or  less  easily  photographed,  and  in 
every  instance  it  is  best  that  they  should  be  portrayed 
with  accessories  that  are  natural  to  them.  It  is  as- 
tonishing that  such  an  interesting  branch  of  photog- 
raphy should  so  long  have  remained  untouched. 
The  possibilities  are  almost  unlimited.  The  exquisite 
forms  of  plant  life  and  the  long  list  of  animal  life 
offer  subjects  as  novel  as  they  are  beautiful;  and  the 
ease  with  which  these  pictures  may  be  made  once 
the  first  few  difficulties  are  overcome  will  astonish 
any  one  entering  this  almost  untrodden  field. 


CHAPTER   VII 

PHOTOGRAPHING    TREES,    SHRUBS,    FLOWERS,    ETC. 

PART   I 

TREES,    FLOWERS,    FERNS,    LEAVES,    AND    GRASSES    IN    THEIR 
NATURAL    SURROUNDINGS 

Outfit  required. — Long-focus  camera  with  swing-back  and  back  focus. 
Fairly  long-focus  lens  which  need  not  of  necessity  be  very  rapid. 
Shutter,  focal  plane  by  preference.  Focussing-cloth.  Plate-holder. 
Tripod,  one  of  ordinary  height  and  one  that  will  allow  of  the  camera 
being  placed  within  twelve  inches  of  the  ground.  Isochromatic  plates, 
slow  and  instantaneous.  Ray-filter.  Cloth  screen  to  shield  plant'  from 
wind.  Pair  of  pruners. 

IN  the  foregoing  chapters  on  photographing  fish, 
birds,  and  other  animal  life,  it  will  have  been  noticed 
that  one  of  the  things  most  necessary  for  the  com- 
plete outfit  is  a  plentiful  supply  of  patience.  Now, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  photographing  growing  flow- 
ers also  requires  a  fair  share  of  patience  —  far  more 
than  one  would  imagine.  On  an  ordinary  calm  day, 
when  to  the  casual  observer  the  trees  and  flowers  are 
absolutely  motionless,  it  will  be  noticed  that  there  is 

114 


O    ™ 
<     k 


PHOTOGRAPHING   TREES,  ETC.         1.15 

almost  always  a  faint  breeze  which  is  sufficient  to 
cause  all  flowers,  especially  those  with  long  stems  and 
heavy  flower-heads,  to  keep  up  a  constant  movement. 
Seldom,  except  in  the  early  morning  and  late  evening, 
does  one  find  a  day  so  quiet  that  the  flowers  stand 
motionless.  Were  it  not  for  that  fact  the  photo- 
graphing of  flowers  would  be  a  comparatively  easy 
task,  requiring  only  the  ordinary  technical  photo- 
graphic skill. 

One  of  the  principal  objects  in  photographing 
a  growing  flower  is  to  show  its  environment  as 
well  as  its  form;  therefore  the  individual  flower 
chosen  should  be  one  that  is  growing  under  normal 
conditions  in  surroundings  common  to  its  kind. 
For  instance,  the  blue-flag,  which  grows  commonly  in 
fields  and  swampy  places,  may  occasionally  be  found 
in  perfectly  dry  woods,  quite  away  from  water  or 
swamps ;  it  would  be  obviously  absurd  to  photograph 
the  plant  in  such  a  place,  unless  to  show  its  eccen- 
tricity. In  the  same  way  the  pink  lady's-slipper  is 
almost  always  found  in  woods,  but  once  in  a  great 
while  a  single  individual  is  found  growing  in  a  com- 
paratively open  place,  such  as  a  field  on  the  edge  of 
the  woods.  So  it  is  with  all  flowers:  they  occasion- 
ally stray  away  from  their  natural  locations  and  live 
a  short  life  in  surroundings  utterly  foreign  to  them. 

It  is  well  to  select  a  plant  that  shows  the  flower  in 
full  bloom  and  the  buds  in  various  stages  of  develop- 


ii6  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

ment.  The  same  may  be  said  of  leaves  when  cer- 
tain plants  are  under  consideration.  In  this  way  the 
picture  is  a  complete  portrait  of  the  plant,  showing 
everything  except  the  roots  and  seed-pods;  and  as 
these  latter  are  so  very  seldom  to  be  found  on  the 
plant  while  it  is  in  bloom,  they  have  to  be  photo- 
graphed separately.  With  low  plants  whose  flowers 
are  near  the  ground,  such  as  trailing  arbutus,  it  is  al- 
most always  necessary  to  accentuate  the  fact  by  placing 
a  chestnut  bur  or  an  acorn,  or  some  such  object  which 
would  naturally  be  found  on  the  ground,  somewhere 
near  the  flower.  This  makes  the  fact  that  the  flower 
is  near  or  on  the  ground  patent  to  anybody  who  sees 
the  picture;  otherwise  they  might  think  the  flower 
was  growing  on  a  wall  or  even  on  a  bush.  Another 
good  plan  is  to  show  a  flower  of  another  species 
growing  near  the  one  you  are  photographing,  making 
it,  of  course,  incidental  and  therefore  less  conspicu- 
ous. Its  object  is  to  show  the  season  when  these 
two  plants  are  in  flower.  This,  though  by  no  means 
necessary,  is  frequently  of  interest. 

Still  another  interesting  idea  is  to  photograph  the 
plant  at  different  times  from  the  same  point  of  view, 
showing  its  gradual  development,  being  careful  to  keep 
notes  of  the  dates.  Pictures  of  this  description  taken  in 
series  are  both  interesting  and  instructive  as  illustrating, 
in  the  case  of  the  wild  flowers,  how  rapidly  they  come 
and  go.  It  seems  no  time  between  the  bursting  of  the 


-^    ^^ 


VIOLETS   (Viola  bicolor). 


PHOTOGRAPHING   TREES,  ETC.          117 

blossom  and  the  drying  of  the  seed  that  will  be  sown 
for  the  next  year's  supply.  How  quickly  this  takes 
place  is  frequently  realised  with  almost  painful  acute- 
ness  by  the  photographer.  To-day  the  woods  may 
be  full  of  a  certain  plant  in  all  the  glory  of  its  gor- 
geous blossoms;  then  to-morrow  perhaps  it  rains,  and 
the  next  day  we  go  to  the  woods  to  photograph  the 
flower,  and  find  its  day  is  gone;  instead  of  the  fine, 
sturdy  flowers,  there  are  nothing  but  withered  re- 
mains, shrivelled  up  and  lacking  all  beauty,  while 
here  and  there  a  single  small  flower  hangs  on  as 
though  unwilling  to  die.  Search  as  you  may  through- 
out the  woods,  not  a  full-blossomed  spray  will  you 
find,  for  the  flowering  period  is  past.  It  is  as 
though  an  order  had  been  given  for  the  lowering  of 
the  colours  of  that  particular  plant. 

Procrastination  is  a  thing  to  be  carefully  guarded 
against  in  flower  photography.  Take  advantage  of 
every  opportunity  if  you  would  succeed  in  making  a 
good  collection  of  pictures  of  growing  plants;  and 
such  pictures  are  extremely  interesting  and  well  worth 
the  trouble  of  making.  Not  only  do  the  single  plants 
show  to  their  full  advantage,  but  clusters  or  colonies 
of  them  growing  together  are  depicted  by  the  camera 
as  they  can  be  by  no  other  means.  What  more 
beautiful  picture  can  be  wanted  than  an  early  summer 
swamp  filled  with  blue-flag,  or  a  late  summer  tangle 
of  iron-weed,  joe-pye-weed,  purple  asters,  and  golden- 


n8     NATURE  AND  THE  CAMERA 

rod  ?  We  cannot  show  the  exquisite  colour,  but  by 
using  slow  isochromatic  plates  the  values  of  the  col- 
ours are  well  preserved,  so  that  the  feeling  of  colour 
is  in  the  picture.  In  securing  such  photographs  a 
good  deal  of  technical  skill  is  necessary,  for  the  nega- 
tive must  have  the  rare  quality  after  which  we  are  all 
striving,  that  is,  the  peculiar  combination  of  softness 
and  vigour.  Practice  alone  will  give  you  this,  and 
even  the  most  expert  photographer  must  count  real 
successes  as  things  that  do  not  often  happen  unless  he 
has  complete  control  of  the  conditions  under  which 
his  pictures  are  made,  and  of  course,  in  working  out 
of  doors,  with  the  ever-varying  quality  of  light  and 
diversity  of  subject,  the  conditions  are  so  changeable 
that  it  requires  great  skill  to  produce  much  evenness 
in  the  quality  of  the  photograph. 

In  picturing  flowers  it  is  usually  necessary  to  use  a 
fairly  small  diaphragm,  as  the  camera  is  often  quite 
near  the  plant,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  the  leaves 
will  protrude  toward  the  camera.  Having  to  work 
with  so  small  an  aperture,  with  an  object  as  unsteady 
as  a  flower,  it  is  obvious  that  there  is  every  advantage 
to  be  gained  by  employing  a  lens  of  great  rapidity, 
though,  of  course,  much  good  work  is  done  with 
ordinary  lenses. 

Isochromatic  plates  are  nearly  always  necessary, 
and  at  times  a  colour-screen  may  be  used  with 
advantage.  It  is  in  the  use  of  this  colour-screen 


PINK  HEPATIC  A. 

April    23,    IQOI. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   TREES,  ETC.         119 

or  ray-filter  that  the  beginner  usually  fails.  He 
uses  it  when  it  is  unnecessary  and  neglects  to  use  it 
where  it  should  be  used.  In  photographing  a  blue 
flower  with  even  fairly  dark  leaves,  the  ordinary  plate, 
being  highly  sensitive  to  the  blue  and  very  slightly 
sensitive  to  the  green,  does  not  give  the  colour  values 
correctly :  the  blue  is  too  light  and  the  green  too  dark. 
The  colour-screen  or  ray-filter  will  correct  this. 
The  common  fault  is  in  using  the  deep-coloured  screen 
when  photographing  a  red  or  orange  flower.  The 
ordinary  plate,  being  only  slightly  sensitive  to  the  red, 
orange,  and  green,  requires  a  longer  exposure  than 
when  other  colours  predominate,  but  gives  the  values 
of  these  colours  fairly  accurately;  the  deep-coloured 
ray-filter  only  tends  to  increase  the  exposure  neces- 
sary. For  most  flower-work  the  medium  isochro- 
matic  plate  is  the  most  satisfactory.  If  the  flower  is 
very  shaky  the  quickest  plates  are  best,  and  if  white 
flowers  with  dark  green  leaves  are  to  be  rendered 
accurately,  then  use  the  slow  plate  or  the  ray-filter; 
this  will  hold  back  the  white  and  give  the  green 
better  value. 

When  photographing  very  delicate  flowers,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  place  around  them  a  screen  of  white  or 
light-coloured  cloth  that  will  protect  them  from  the 
wind  and  at  the  same  time"  reflect  more  light.  This 
cloth  should  be  stretched  tightly  on  upright  sticks, 
which  should  be  firmly  planted  in  the  ground,  not 


120  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

too  near  the  plant.  For  outside  work  a  background 
may  frequently  be  used  with  advantage.  It  should 
be  without  wrinkles  and  of  a  soft  gray  colour  for 
most  flowers ;  by  placing  it  in  strong  sunlight  or  tilt- 
ing it  so  that  it  will  be  in  shadow,  or  by  putting  it 
at  different  distances  from  the  flower,  it  will  give 
many  gradations  of  tone,  from  dark  to  very  light. 
When  photographing  flowers  on  branches,  be  sure  to 
secure  the  branch  ;  otherwise  the  slight  swaying 
caused  by  the  least  motion  of  the  air  will  bring  it 
nearer  to  or  farther  from  the  lens,  with  the  result 
that  it  will  not  be  in  focus. 

Pictures  of  trees  are  made  more  interesting  if  sep- 
arate plates  are  made  of  the  leaves,  flowers,  fruits 
(which  should  be  all  the  same  scale),  and  bark,  as 
well  as  the  entire  tree.  Nonhalation  isochromatic 
plates  are  most  satisfactory  for  tree  pictures ;  they 
insure  the  necessary  sharpness  of  outline,  free  from 
the  disagreeable  defect  known  as  halation. 

The  lighting  for  all  flower-  or  tree-work  is  very 
important.  For  trees  the  most  satisfactory  results 
are  to  be  obtained  when  the  sun  is  low  and  the 
shadows  long.  For  flowers  the  lighting  must  be 
such  as  will  best  show  the  form  of  the  flower.  The 
entire  shape  of  flowers  may  be  wrongly  depicted  if 
the  lighting  is  wrong.  White  flowers  should  never 
have  strong  light  streaming  directly  into  them  ;  not 
only  does  it  flatten  them,  but  it  makes  them  too  white 


PHOTOGRAPHING   TREES,  ETC.          121 

and  chalky.  When  the  leaves  are  very  highly  pol- 
ished, so  that  they  reflect  white  light,  it  is  best  either 
to  choose  a  gray  day,  or  else  intercept  the  sunlight 
by  means  of  a  cloth  of  some  kind.  Most  ferns  are 
easy  subjects  for  the  camera ;  they  are  usually  fairly 
steady,  and  their  strong  outlines  and  beautiful  forms 
are  most  satisfactory  as  photographs.  Some  of  the 
grasses  also  make  beautiful  pictures,  whether  shown 
singly  or  in  masses.  In  fact,  there  are  few  things  in 
the  vegetable  world  that  do  not  lend  themselves  more 
or  less  to  camera  work.  The  commonest  things 
that  we  pass  by  every  day,  such  as  the  lacelike  wild 
carrot,  the  much-despised  yarrow,  the  timothy  or  the 
redtop  in  flower,  are  fitter  subjects  for  pictures  than 
many  of  the  less  common  and  therefore  more  appre- 
ciated flowers. 

PART    II 
PHOTOGRAPHING    CUT    FLOWERS,    LEAVES     AND    FRUITS 

Outfit  same  as  Part  I,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  tripod  and  the  addition 
of  several  different-coloured  backgrounds. 

WITH  cut  flowers  the  greatest  difficulty  is  in  keeping 
the  flower  from  wilting.  How  delicate  flowers  are 
can  only  be  realised  by  those  who  undertake  to  pho- 
tograph them.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  wild 
flowers.  After  they  are  picked,  with  some  few  ex- 
ceptions, they  are  not  fit  to  be  used  for  many  hours. 


122  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

If  used  too  soon  they  will  move  all  the  time;  this 
movement  is  so  slow  as  to  be  almost  imperceptible  to 
the  eye,  but  it  will  be  revealed  by  even  a  fairly  long 
exposure.  The  best  way  to  avoid  this  is  to  pick  the 
flowers  in  the  afternoon,  and  put  them  in  water  or  in 
a  damp  box  and  leave  them  in  a  cellar  or  other  such 
cool  and  dimly  lighted  place  overnight.  In  the 
morning  they  will  be  found  strong  and  in  full  bloom, 
when  they  should  be  photographed  without  unne- 
cessary delay  in  a  cool  place  free  from  draughts.  For 
some  flowers  the  damp  box  is  much  better  than 
water.  Any  ordinary  wooden  or  tin  box  will  an- 
swer if  it  is  lined  with  thoroughly  damp  material 
such  as  paper,  felt,  or  cloth,  and  covered  over  with  a 
wet  towel.  If  a  flower  is  very  full  blown  this  is  the 
best  way  to  preserve  it  overnight.  Flowers  to  be 
photographed  may  either  be  cut  or  pulled  up  with 
complete  roots.  For  pictorial  effect  the  former  is 
the  better,  but  of  course  if  the  roots  are  shown  the 
portrait  of  the  flower  is  more  perfect  and  certainly 
more  interesting,  but  it  is  also  more  difficult  to  ar- 
range. One  way  to  overcome  the  difficulty  is  to  lay 
it  on  a  piece  of  clean  glass  and  photograph  directly 
down  on  it.  The  background  is  of  course  placed  at 
some  distance  from  the  glass ;  care  must  be  taken  to 
avoid  the  reflection  on  the  glass.  Another  way  is  to 
pin  the  plant  to  a  vertical  background  with  very 
small  pins,  which  must  be  arranged  so  that  they  will 


FRINGED    GENTIAN. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   TREES,  ETC.          123 

not  be  seen.  Either  of  these  methods  may  be  ap- 
plied to  cut  flowers  and  leaves,  but  the  former  method 
is  much  the  more  satisfactory. 

A  useful  arrangement  for  cut  flowers  is  a  soft- 
wood board  several  inches  wide  attached  so  that  it 
may  be  set  at  any  angle;  flowers,  or  branches  of 
flowers,  leaves,  or  fruit,  may  be  fastened  to  this  by 
means  of  fine  nails  or  steel  pins.  A  piece  of  wet 
absorbent  cotton  wrapped  around  the  stem  will  keep 
the  flower  fresh  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time.  An 
ordinary  well-lighted  room  will  answer  for  a  studio, 
but  of  course  a  top  light  is  an  advantage.  An  abun- 
dance of  light  is  almost  essential  so  that  the  exposure 
may  be  as  short  as  possible.  How  sensitive  flowers 
are  to  the  slightest  vibration  will  be  discovered  before 
many  pictures  have  been  made  ;  with  some  flowers 
a  door  banging  in  any  part  of  the  house  will  cause 
them  to  tremble  violently,  and  even  a  person  walk- 
ing across  the  floor  in  another  room  will  affect  them. 
So  it  is  needless  to  say  that  during  the  exposure 
everything  in  the  room  must  be  absolutely  still. 
When  a  very  long  exposure  is  needed  the  photog- 
rapher should  sit  down  rather  than  stand.  These 
precautions  may  sound  absurd,  but  I  can  assure  those 
who  undertake  this  work  that  they  will  find  them 
only  too  necessary,  and  that  overlooking  them  will 
be  the  cause  of  many  needless  failures. 

As  regards  plates,  use  isochromatic  plates  altogether, 


124  NATURE   AND   THE   CAMERA 

and  be  very  careful  in  developing  them  not  to  let 
them  become  too  dense.  Use  a  slow  developer,  and 
keep  the  plate  well  under  control.  On  no  account 
use  absolutely  black  grounds,  for,  as  already  stated, 
they  detract  enormously  from  the  artistic  value  and 
beauty  of  the  picture,  all  the  softness  and  delicacy 
being  drowned  by  the  intense  black. 

With  flowers,  leaves,  or  grasses,  very  striking  and 
decorative  effects  may  be  obtained.  Curiously 
enough,  this  has  seldom  been  attempted  —  why,  it  is 
difficult  to  understand,  as  the  work  is,  comparatively 
speaking,  easy,  requiring,  of  course,  a  keen  sense  of 
the  value  of  lines,  of  masses,  of  tones,  lights,  and 
shades,  just  as  decorative  drawing  does.  A  consider- 
able amount  of  patience  is  needed,  and  perseverance 
also,  if  you  would  find  the  flowers  and  leaves  that 
just  fit  into  the  scheme. 


PART  III 

PHOTOGRAPHING    FUNGI 


HERE  we  come  to  the  easiest  kind  of  photography 
—  easy  and  at  the  same  time  most  satisfactory.  Many 
of  the  fungi  are  not  only  beautiful  in  colour,  but 
their  forms  and  markings  are  very  striking  and  show 
to  full  advantage  in  a  photograph.  Take,  for  example, 


JACK  IN  PULPIT. 
May    1 8,    1901. 


PHOTOGRAPHING   TREES,  ETC.          125 

such  varieties  as  the  different  amanita,  the  delicious 
morel,  or  even  some  of  the  clevaria :  with  a  little  care 
in  arranging  them,  very  beautiful  photographs  may 
be  made. 

In  most  cases  it  is  advisable  to  photograph  the 
specimen  as  it  is  found  growing.  With  few  excep- 
tions, they  are  unaffected  by  the  wind,  so  that  expo- 
sures of  almost  any  length  may  be  made,  provided 
the  surrounding  vegetation  is  not  easily  disturbed  by 
the  passing  breeze.  In  all  cases  where  the  mush- 
room is  on  the  ground  the  camera  must  be  placed 
low,  even  within  a  few  inches  of  the  ground.  When 
for  any  reason  it  is  necessary  to  remove  the  mush- 
room in  order  to  photograph  it  indoors,  be  sure  to 
cut  a  large  enough  piece  of  the  surrounding  earth  or 
bark  to  show  the  nature  of  the  location.  For  car- 
rying such  bulky  specimens  a  large  flat  basket  is 
most  convenient,  and  that  must  be  carried  with 
care  or  your  specimens  will  break.  It  is  so  much 
easier  to  carry  the  camera  than  the  mushrooms  that 
there  is  every  reason  why  the  photograph  should  be 
made  on  the  spot.  When  it  is  thought  necessary  to 
show  the  root  of  the  mushroom,  lay  a  suitable  speci- 
men alongside  of  the  growing  one.  In  any  event  it 
is  just  as  well  to  show  the  under  side,  as  it  is  that  part 
which  aids  so  much  in  the  identification  of  the  species. 

Isochromatic    plates    are    necessary    for    all    the 


126  NATURE  AND   THE   CAMERA 

brightly  coloured  varieties,  while  ordinary  plates  will 
answer  for  those  which  are  of  more  quiet  colour. 
Almost  any  lens  of  moderately  long  focus  will  do  for 
this  work  ;  the  camera  should  have  a  long  bellows 
and  have  back  focus  and  single  swing  ;  this  latter  is 
made  necessary  by  having  to  place  the  camera  so 
near  the  ground. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


.801920 
fCT  26  ts«i 
JUL  301123 


C    9  1929 
APR  - 


30?n-6,'14 


RSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY